


Dark Secret

by straws_berry



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempted Murder, Dysfunctional Family, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Series, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-04-13 06:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 56,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4512012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/straws_berry/pseuds/straws_berry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post episode of 24.5, when Slaine finally met his long lost mother...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Slaine finally heard a clacking sound as the door to his glass cell cracked open and the soft footsteps of his visitor made their way towards him. Slaine had been asked to wait there alone for quite some time. Usually his only regular visitor would come in shortly after he was placed inside, but definitely not this time.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter have been reupload after reviewed by [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha).  
> 

Slaine finally heard a clacking sound as the door to his glass cell cracked open and the soft footsteps of his visitor made their way towards him. Slaine had been asked to wait there alone for quite some time. Usually his only regular visitor would come in shortly after he was placed inside, but definitely not this time.

"It is rare for you to make me wait this long Kaizuka Inaho".

Slaine commented without even looking up to meet the gaze of his visitor. He was preoccupied with arranging the chess pieces for their chess matches that had become a common ritual during visiting hours.

Recently Slaine and his visitor had agreed that the loser of the game would prepare the set for the next game. Slaine still remembered how irritated he was when Inaho first set the rule especially after his winning. Yet, Slaine realized that he was not really putting his all in the game that day. He just wanted to make Inaho stay longer until the raining had stopped since he come drenched.

“It’s not that I forgot, today it was suppose to be your turn, but I thought I could kill some time doing this while waiting for you.”

Slaine broke the silence as the other remained quiet after several minutes of his arrival. Indeed last time, after a long game of chess with only five chess pieces left on the board, Slaine had finally won.

Slaine finally looked up to Inaho, after he had finished preparing the chessboard. He realized that Inaho was scrutinizing his sight to the floor instead of looking at him. Even with his deadpan face, he looked like he needed to convey something important. However, whatever he was going to say, he seemed to be at a loss of words.

“Slaine, we are not playing today. Sorry to disappoint you but you need to meet someone,” Inaho finally spoke.

“It’s not like I was looking forward to play but...Wow, you just blurted it out bluntly even after taking some time to think” , Slaine wanted to say but he was curious.

“Who?”

“I think you should meet this person first,” Inaho said simply while turning his back to Slaine and walking to the door.

Before Inaho managed to twist the doorknob Slaine told him to stop, “Wait!” 

Inaho stopped abruptly. He turned to face Slaine to ask why, but Slaine interrupted him by saying, “I don’t remember my rights of denying visitors let alone knowing their identity being relinquished.”

Inaho turned his head towards the door again obviously refusing to meet Slaine’s eyes. His hand still rested at the door knob. After a short pause, he then replied, "No, you still have it, but not this time. She has every right to see you too. I am sorry… She already waited for so long.” 

Without further delay or even asking for Slaine’s approval, he twisted the doorknob.

Slaine was frowning. He was not prepared. He had many questions in mind, but he knew that he could not do anything anyway. The door swung open revealing the person behind it as Slaine waited nervously.

An elegant woman with blond hair styled with a fluffy side bun walked into the room after slightly bowing her head to Inaho. She tried to look calm but failed at hiding her anxiety.

Turquoise eyes met turquoise eyes and a word Slaine had not used in years, escaped his lips.

"Mom."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still in A/Z hell. I don't think I could get out, when another author is still writing especially who are still doing it due to some request. I already had something in mind (more than this chapter) on how story can proceed , but to convey it to words is not an easy task. Is this okay for me to continue?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **“Madam, I will be outside if you need anything,” Inaho excused himself as he believed both of them need to be left alone.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter have been reupload after reviewed by [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha).  
> 

“Madam, I will be outside if you need anything,” Inaho excused himself as he believed both of them need to be left alone.

“Yes, Thank you.” The woman replied and smiled warmly to Inaho. Perhaps this is how Slaine Troyard would have looked like if he smiled from the bottom of his heart. After all Slaine took after his mother except for his gender and pale blond hair color, which Slaine took after his father, Dr. Troyard. The woman had golden blond hair, almost like Empress Asseylum.

“Seylum-san,” Inaho whispered. His memories reeled back to the past as he closed the door and leaned his back to the door.

 

***

 

"Who are you to Seylum-san?" Kaizuka Inaho demanded as they were receiving first aid in an air ambulance after their fall.

"Her Highness!" Slaine corrected in an alarming voice followed by a hiss when a paramedic was poking at his chest. The paramedic tried to remove his clothes, but Slaine stopped him midway, “Not here.” while holding his hand.

"No, you're not. Saazbaum-"

"It doesn't change the fact I knew about it and did nothing!" another hiss followed as Slaine strained his voice.

Inaho was becoming confused. He vaguely remembered during their encounter in Russia, Slaine was screaming as he shot Saazbaum multiple times, but was unsuccessful at hitting any vital points. But at that time, Inaho had not cared. Reaching for the princess was a bigger priority than trying to understand the whole situation. Later in the war, Saazbaum was obviously killed by Slaine and the late count’s death was fabricated as killed in action. Although Slaine was involved in the murder plot just like he had said, why was the princess still alive? Why did the princess beg Inaho to save Slaine Troyard? More questions came to mind and Inaho couldn't help but feel his headache was worsening the longer he thought about it.

Inaho finally concluded, “You could do nothing. Just now, you honestly claimed you have no intention to kill her. You actually had no power to stop it.” At the moment, he was under the impression he was the one correcting Slaine. He knew his statements were mistaken as provocations, but this time, he never intended to trigger the other.  Old habits died hard; Inaho had always known his statements were often mistaken as provocations.  To make matters worse, his analytical engine was no longer functioning properly and was unable to assist him on how he should act.

Slaine snapped at Inaho’s bold statement that Slaine himself knew was the truth. “Are you mocking me?” He attempted to sit up but immediately he fell back onto the treatment's cushion. Slaine started having a coughing fit, which ended in him  spitting out some blood.

Inaho regret his actions when he saw how serious Slaine had ended up. If anything happened to Slaine, Inaho would be unable to fulfill his promise to Asseylum. One of the physicians placed an oxygen mask on Slaine as he was struggling to breath. Then, multiple wires were attached to Slaine’s body to monitor his vitals.

With an exhausted sigh, Slaine opened his eyes and stretched out his arm to hold Inaho’s hand and force Inaho to kneel beside him. Slaine removed the oxygen mask using his other hand. Inaho now understood why the medical assistants had gasped; most of Slaine's upper body was exposed and revealed what looked like countless scars. His attention to the sight went adrift as he was startled by Slaine’s words.

“Blame me for everything… Under Versian law, … anyone involved in her murder attempt… will have their whole clan executed.” Slaine was breathing sharply just to finished his sentences.

Inaho really wanted Slaine to stop talking, but before Inaho could insist, Slaine carried on, “After all, how would the Martians  react if they knew the UFE also tried to murder her at the moon base..?.” A nurse dropped a medical gauze. She looked clearly disturbed before quickly took back the fallen item. The other medical assistants reacted similarly and paused for a moment before resuming, proving Slaine words could still be heard and understood by others despite his croaking voice.

“Please stop talking,” Inaho finally insisted, having found a chance. Inaho snatched the oxygen mask from Slaine’s grasp but could not place it on Slaine. Slaine stopped him.

“Both,… can threaten the peace she really hopes for. I am neither a Martian nor do I have someone waiting me as Terran...” Slaine looked like someone telling his last wish before his deathbed as he closed his eyes. Tears trailed down his cheek as his head slumped to the side. His hold over Inaho’s hand loosened and subsequently fell out of the narrow stretcher. Irregular sound come from one of the machine followed.

 

***

 

“That’s what he said.” Inaho informed as he was giving a full report at the conference for  the peace treaty between the two nations, the Versian Empire and Earth

In short he was telling Slaine’s proposal to end the war by becoming the scapegoat for both parties in the assassination attempts of Her Highness Asseylum Vers Allusia. Inaho  noticed mixed reactions among the audience. The UFE higher ups were clearly uncomfortable with Inaho’s statement as they intended to not publicize that the UFE had planned to murder the Versian ruler. As for the Vers side, especially Count Klancain and Mazuurek were obviously surprised by Slaine’s unpredictable decision.

Inaho looked to the big monitor used for video transmission for Seylum-san to join the conference. Count Klancain had explained the reason of why his wife did not want to come to Earth before achieving a peace treaty. After all, the second war started because she had wanted to visit Earth. From the screen, Inaho could see that she succeeded in holding back her tears, but not enough to avoid her eyes from becoming glossy. Her maid Eddelrittuo too shared the same expression. Seylum-san pursed her lips as she brought her hand close to her mouth.

One of the UFE higher ups eventually argued with Inaho, saying the UFE would never  send a squad for such a mission in the moon base. The UFE general accused of Inaho for being too trusting and too easily swayed in believing the former dictator's words. The general further elaborated that Inaho sympathized with the former dictator by going so far as to saying the former dictator had no choice but to continue the war. The general also insisted Slaine Saazbaum Troyard must receive the death penalty for continuing his adoptive father’s legacy. Inaho countered the official’s slander by saying he had several witnesses but the general continued his threatening words. He even involved the Deucalion crew by pointing out how they had disobeyed their superiors  and must face disciplinary action for their misconduct

Unable to withstand these accusations, Captain Darzana Magbaredge slammed the table in frustration but apologized afterwards and said nothing. She knew most of the UFE higher ups were too preoccupied with saving face than admitting their ill-natured schemes. Luckily President Magbaredge, the current President of United Earth intervened by asking for verification. Klancain expressed his regret that he was forced to hurt, or to kill some of the UFE squad but he did what he had to protect the princess. As the Chief Representative of Vers, he also apologized on behalf of both his late father-in-law and former Count Saazbaum for starting the wars.

As the discussion progressed to determine the fate of the former Count Slaine Saazbaum Troyard, more shocking revelations were found. His medical report showed the former war leader had multiple scars believed to be caused by abuse. Count Klancain did commented such circumstances were indeed possible when the former count was under Martian care considering how Martians viewed Terrans. But, he also added the fact Martians could be very harsh while training their soldiers.This was supported by Count Mazuurek as he repeatedly nodded at the same time Count Klancain explained the situations.

Statements taken from subjects of former Count Troyard revealed their leader did command all forces to surrender to UFE together with his landing castle before proceeding to self-destructing the moon base. Yet all the fighting units decided to disobey his last command, making their selfish decision of continuing their fight against Earth force.

In the end, after several conferences and discussions, both parties decided to fulfill Slaine’s wish as the one who caused the war. President Magbaredge did highlight it is such a disgrace to point all the blame to a young man who was obviously neglected by the adults around him. The president insinuated that the former war leader’s actions were a result of immature thinking and poor upbringing. Surely his past could not be used as a justification for his actions, but at the same time those facts could not be ignored.

Slaine would not be sentenced to death but be officially declared killed in action during the last battle to secure a sense of peace and foundation for the two nations to move forward.

 

***

 

He was slightly alarmed when Inaho left him with the woman alone. It irked him that Inaho knew Slaine would never do anything to her.

“Slaine.” Slaine was startled as the woman in front of him called for his name. Her voice sounded so nostalgic. Slaine found his gaze fall to the source of the voice..

He did not expect that he would receive hugs from the woman who he used to call mother. She dropped  her handbag and ran to hug him when he looked at her. He realized he had missed her so much.

He was stunned when he heard his mother keep chanting his name. “Slaine, Slaine, Slaine…” After several repetitions, she then resumed, “I missed you. I am sorry that I left you alone with your father. I tried to search for both of you, but failed. I am sorry that I did not try hard enough to find you.”

Considering how his father worked, not many people could stand beside him. Slaine and his father were constantly traveling around the world, how could his mother  find them. He could feel his shirt dampen as his mother wept and her hugged him tighter.

He could not remember when his mother started missing. She always left home for several days for her work. Both of his parents actually did when they were still together. He always thought that his mother had died long ago. It was what his father told him whenever he asked about her.

Suddenly Slaine remembered all his crimes as a war leader, the one who continued to attack Earth. What if she had been killed in the war when he decided to attack Earth? He did not deserve these hugs and her loving words now. He is an ungrateful child that brought shame to both his parents.

With a thick voice he finally said, “Let go of me!” The woman was taken by surprise but did not let go of him yet.

“I can’t breath!” Slaine lied. The woman quickly released him from her hugs and whispered, “I am sorry”.

Slaine could not bring himself to look at his mother in the eye. He took a few steps back and stared at the floor in confusion. “Please go back, and do not return,” He said bluntly.

“Slaine!” his mother called for his name again, but this time in a slightly higher tone of voice.

Seeing his mother had not move an inch, he called for the guards to take him back to his room. He could see the knob shift a bit, but stopped half way. Slaine waited for a moment but nothing happened. He finally deduced the guards were being stopped; Kaizuka Inaho must be the culprit for the guards’ slow response.

Slaine took a long deep breath before he demanded, “Either you take me back to my room or I will kill this woman!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What if Darzana adopted by the President family? Since there are many coincidence in A\Z, I guess it should be okay?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **The first time Slaine called for the guards, Inaho signaled the guards to disregard as they were getting ready to enter the glass room. However when Slaine immediately threatened that he would kill his visitor off, both of the guards panicked**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter have been reupload after reviewed by [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha).  
> Thanks! ^_^

The first time Slaine called for the guards, Inaho signaled the guards to disregard as they were getting ready to enter the glass room. However when Slaine immediately threatened that he would kill his visitor off, both of the guards panicked. Of course, Inaho knew the threat was a lie, but the two guards had rushed inside before Inaho managed to halt them.

The moment Inaho entered the glass room, all he knew was Slaine’s face was slammed against the table after one of the guards had turned him around to restrain him. Both of his hands were handcuffed from behind as his chest was pressed against the table.

“Please, don’t do anything to him,” Slaine’s mother begged to the guards. Her voice sounded brittle. Not to mentioned that Slaine too, was biting his own lower lips upon hearing his mother plead. She was the current visitor that Slaine threatened he would kill, yet she still pleaded for the guards to do nothing.

The guards seemed a bit harsh to Slaine. Inaho determined it was due to  the guards  still feeling uneasy about Slaine’s earlier intimidation especially when they were completely aware of Slaine’s past.

“Do as she says and send him back to his cell,” Inaho ordered. At first Slaine followed the instructions. However, after he took about four or five steps, he stopped.

“You should forget me… You should know that I led the war against Earth.”

Slaine declared, without looking back at his mother. He wished his mother would not bother to come and visit him again. He was reminded by his mother that he should not be forgiven.

Slaine continued to make his way to exit the room followed by the guards while locking his gaze to the floor. The woman still looked at Slaine when the guards guided him out of the visitor room.

“Slaine,” She called her son’s name. She seemed to anticipate that her son would look back at her one last time before he was out of the glass room, but he did not.

The woman and Inaho were left alone when the guards brought Slaine out. She slumped into the nearest seat and wept, she did not care about her handbag that still laid on the floor.

Inaho handed her a handkerchief, “Here, take this.”

“Thank you,” she glanced at Inaho before she took the offered piece of undyed cotton cloth and started wiping her tears. It took a few seconds before she spoke again, “I will return this to you later. I should take my leave.”

She stood up and started looking around. Her gaze stopped at one point and Inaho looked in the same direction she was looking at. Realizing that she was looking at her abandoned handbag, Inaho kneeled to get it.

The beige leather bag was unzipped and revealed some items inside. Aside from some beauty products, a notepad and a pen, there was an old box of colored pencils that caught his attention. He pulled out the box unaware that the woman was staring at him.

“It’s the only thing I found when I came back to meet him.” Inaho jolted as soon as he heard the woman talked.

Inaho looked back and he meant to say sorry, yet before he managed to say so, she continued, “I should have known, he would not forgive me. Now, he even doesn’t want to meet me. I didn't mean to leave him, but still..."

Inaho really wanted to say she and her son were similar in their habit of self-loathing. She should have been smart enough to know her son actually was lying when he said he would kill her. She should have been able to figure out the reason her son didn’t want to meet his mother. It was because he could not forgive himself, not the other way around.  Inaho knew at least this much seeing how Slaine had behaved for past few months.

"I will talk to him." Rather than speak his mind, Inaho believed he should only say this much to her. He still remembered how his friends, his sister, and even Slaine told him how his way of talking was boring and not engaging even though it was full with useful facts.

“Pardon?” She asked as she was uncertain about what she had heard.

Inaho put back the box inside the handbag and handed it over to her, while repeating, “I will talk to him.”

The woman nodded as she took her bag from Inaho though she also took Inaho’s hand in the process. “Thank you,” she replied. Inaho could feel she was crushing his hand as her grip tensed.

Inaho eventually released his hand from her hold. “He may need some time just like before. He already made some progress. At least he is ready to look forward now.” Inaho comforted her. The truth was, Inaho was also uncertain if he could persuade Slaine to meet his mother. Nevertheless, he still needed to try. He did not think he could comfort the woman further, since he could not remember his own mother. He was too uncertain how to convey the feeling.

In spite of that, the woman looked a bit more relaxed once she heard Inaho’s words. At some point, she excused herself as she made her way out. Inaho followed her insisting that he should accompany her.

He then started to think about how he should convince Slaine to meet her. He recalled how the guards acted and deduced that Slaine might have injured himself. He stopped by the medical room and grabbed whatever he felt was necessary before heading to Slaine’s cell

Once one of the guards unlocked the entrance to Slaine’s cell, Inaho entered into the average sized room with his hands full with an ice bag and first aid kit. Slaine was lying down on his right side, facing the wall. He did not even care to take a glance at Inaho as he sometimes did every time when Inaho stepped in.

It was a normal habit of Inaho to just sit at the edge of the bed without asking for Slaine’s permission. Inaho took a peek at Slaine to check on him. As he predicted earlier, Slaine did bruise his left cheek. Seeing Slaine not move an inch, Inaho just put an ice bag on Slaine's face, gently but without warning. The sudden coldness on his face made Slaine jolt. Inaho was expecting Slaine would snap at him for his sudden act, but Slaine just simply sat up and shifted to lean on the wall while holding the ice pack. He then used his left hand to rest the ice against his cheek. His right hand was resting on the mattress with his palm facing upwards.

Inaho sighed upon noticing that both of Slaine’s wrists were chafed. Red marks were clearly visible on his milky white skin. Without further delay, Inaho called the guards for a clean towel immediately. The guard came back in a hurry and handed over the towel.

He went to the wash basin in the corner of Slaine’s cell and dampened the towel with lukewarm water. He then took Slaine’s right arm and started cleaning his wrist.  Even though, Slaine remained silent while Inaho gently rubbed his wrist, Slaine’s fingers twitched periodically, indicating that he was in pain while Inaho was at it.

“Can you give me your left arm? Hold that using this hand for now.” Inaho instructed Slaine on what had to be done as he also needed to clean his left wrist.

Slaine obeyed much to Inaho’s surprise. There were a few times that Slaine had refused Inaho’s aid. He still remembered the last time when Slaine was chained to his bed because he tried to injure himself by bumping his head against the concrete wall. His forehead was bleeding and both of his wrists and ankles were not only chafed, but also bruised as he was struggling to release himself. Inaho was only able to treat his wounds when he had lost all of his energy or had fallen asleep after being sedated.

Instead of waiting for Inaho to take his hand, Slaine extended his hand to Inaho. Inaho cleaned off his left wrist before rubbing some ointment onto his wrists. Slaine still remained quiet while submitting to Inaho’s treatment and followed Inaho’s directions.

Once Inaho finished treating Slaine, he packed up the kits. He leaned to the wall, copying Slaine’s posture. He intended to wait for the other to say something. If the other did not, he would ask if the other would talk, but he decided to wait a little bit longer.

Inaho sat still while observing the room he was in. Slaine’s cell was entirely different from every prison that he had seen, especially the one that had been used to place Count Mazuurek in the past. If he was to describe it, maybe Slaine’s cell was a bit closer to a normal room except for the most part it was made of thick glasses since Slaine was still under suicide watch.

Being in constant observation, Slaine only got minimal privacy while taking a shower or using the toilet that were built inside his cell in separate cubicles. Both were enclosed with clear glass but accompanied by a single frosted bar that was lined horizontally in between, enough to cover slightly above his chest until below his knees. His cell seemed a bit extravagant just to satisfy a condition which Slaine could attain his little privacy and coziness without obstructing the continuous surveillance.

To decrease Slaine’s chances of choking himself with toilet paper, a bidet seat was even installed on top of the toilet. The guard in charge would bring Slaine a towel or a clean set of clothing upon his request. This was because he was not allowed to keep any material made of interlacing fibers, except for whatever he was wearing.

“Since when did she know I was alive?” Slaine asked, finally speaking, which startled Inaho upon hearing him.

Inaho simply stated, “From the start.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to write more per chapter, but I doubt I have time for it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Slaine really meant to pay no intention to Inaho. He did not want to met Inaho’s eye, not even close to talk to him. However, he could not bring himself to dismiss Inaho’s treatment. Sooner or later, he would receive it anyway.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I planned to post a little tiny bit earlier, but my notebook attacked by viruses. I spent most of my times tried to kill them, since I don't want to format, if possible. Hence, I almost forgot about this.

Slaine really meant to pay no intention to Inaho. He did not want to met Inaho’s eye, not even close to talk to him. However, he could not bring himself to dismiss Inaho’s treatment. Sooner or later, he would receive it anyway.

He could not recall exactly why he went rampage last time, aside from suspicion that the promised death sentence would never come. He went mad immediately upon thinking about all he had done as an orbital knight and how unfair for his followers to be dead during last war, whereas he survived. His head spun made him unable to stop an urge to smack his head on the wall. Unfortunately, the guards come in just after he did it once. Soon, he was handcuffed to the bed, with all his four limbs stretched to four bed edges.

A nurse came into his cell to a few minutes later, to treat his bleeding forehead. Yet, he refused to stay still, continued further to release himself from the shackles. Again and again, he arched his back or bent his body to half sat up position, before fell back to the mattress. Screaming, crying and pleading while at it.

He did not has any idea when he fell asleep, but when he woke up, he noticed the shackles that were biting his wrists and ankles already changed to multiple layers of gauze and tape. His head included. His entire limb no longer chained to the bed frame, but somehow, he felt not only bandaged parts were in pain.

He tilted his head only to find Inaho was sitting on the chair next to his bed reading a medium-sized book. Next to Inaho was a box with a red cross, placed at the top of the desk Inaho used to support his arm while he was holding the book. With a long sigh, Inaho put down his book on the desk after he realized that Slaine already woke up. He subsequently folded his arm, looking down at him. His leg remained crossed just like before.

“Just resign yourself. You should know by now, you could never have your own way here.” Please do not forget, the way you are now, we could not bring proper judgment upon your crime.”

He was wondering if that was a polite way to say that he was insane. Judgment? His long awaited death penalty? Will it be delayed due to his current injuries? Yet, by some means, he felt surprisingly calmed, unlike when he was awake earlier.

“You were drugged. Next time, please give full cooperation to anybody here who wants to treat your injuries. But I do hope, this would be the last. I would not allow you to harm yourself any further.” Inaho declared.

Submitting to his weariness, he just closed his eyes tried to drift off into sleep. Now, he knew why all those disturbing thoughts no longer haunted him.  He finally concluded any attempt of refusal would not be tolerated. In the end, everything would turn to the worst for him.  Inaho always win. If he said he would not die, he would not.

***

The ice pouch dropped. Slaine swiftly moved, from sloping to the wall to sitting up straight almost like seiza-style, but on his own bed instead of on the floor. He looked toward Inaho eager for a brief explanation.

“W-what..? Wait. Why? No. How…?”

His anxiety increased as well as his curiosity. How come he never met his mother even once? If she did know from the start, then why he never saw her either in a military hospital or in his so-called prison, before. Currently, at the moment, he didn't bother to ask proper questions in full sentences. He purposely dropped his doubts that Inaho may face some difficulties for answering it.

Yet he swore, he could see Inaho lips formed a sly smile before disappeared in a bat of an eye. "Please be specific when you asked," Inaho demanded with his usual flat tone. He reached for the dismissed ice pouch before handed it back to Slaine.

Slaine placed the pouch against his cheek just like before. Inaho kind of reply was a way off his calculation. He was wondering if Inaho wanted to tease him. Although his response did annoy him, he decided to ignore.

“It is easier for you to tell me everything. I appreciate if you could do it,” Perhaps a kind or reminder of how his slightly poor communication skill would be enough to retort his previous comment.

“I don’t mind. But in return, I appreciate if you will have no any complaints regarding my dull storytelling.”

 _“Aaah, so he decided to reflect?”_  “Don’t worry. I have no concern about it”.

Just after Slaine finished his words, Inaho subsequently rolled his eye to the side. Noticed that Inaho put a skeptical look, Slaine added “At least for now. Just don't waste your time anymore.”

Inaho leaned to the wall back and looked up. “Humm, where do I need to start…?” He was contemplating to start his narration.

“How did you meet her in the first place?”

“I met her three days later after our last fight. I first saw her walked back and forth in front of the emergency department as I passed by to pursue my sister to give her purse back. Then, I met her again at the reception counter. She talked with a nurse, asking for her son. She did not reply when the nurse asked her about her son name. Instead, I see her trailed off to the emergency department where I first saw her. She looked so familiar and fidgety all along. So, I just followed her, feeling suspicious”

“Do... I look like her that much?” Slaine asked while he imitated Inaho, slumped his back to the concrete wall behind him. He stared to the ceiling as he straightens his legs.

“Yes, you are... Anyway, I feel her beauty wasted on you.”

“Yes, you right. She was the one who given a birth to a brazen child, a war leader against his own birthplace. I should end my life earlier. It's better than become a bother to her. I only brought shame to her.”

Inaho turned his head, looked immediately at him along. "That’s not what I meant".

If Inaho not earnestly go through his mission of saving him just like the empress did request, he must be unable to read Inaho's expression. His facial expression did not change much except for hardly furrowed brows. Of course, Inaho must be disturbed by what he said just now.

"I mean it's wasted on a guy. It will be a different story if you're a girl.”

Fortunately, Inaho managed to catch a pillow thrown at his face just in time. However another pillow smacked at his face just after he put down the other, and he could not dodge the one that just coming. Slaine smirked, satisfied his second attack hit precisely hit his aim.

"Continue," Slaine demanded.

"Continue which one? Another reason why her beauty-"

"You know which one," Slaine cut Inaho off while gathering his pillows, to use them to be his weapons again if deemed necessary.

"I just told her, if she searched for Slaine Saazbaum Troyard, he already dead. He lost his cohesion after his last fight and burned while entering our atmosphere.”

Slaine grabbed his left arm in immediate. He tilted his head to look at Inaho, but Inaho still lock his gaze to the ceiling. "Why did you do that? It’s enough to tell her that I just died in fights. You were making it too dramatic. "

"As a precaution step. Rumors travel fast. Those who doubted your fate might send her to investigate your exact location.  Moreover, I did plan to make up that story to hide the fact that you are alive. To fabricate those facts, all details must be in sync to decrease their chance to be argumentative or unbelievable. I wanted to confirm if she really did relate to you. I am sorry cause I made her almost fainted. She began to sob soon after I directed her to a seat. She confessed to me about her divorce and blamed herself for everything happened to you, including what you have done to be precise. But, thanks to her genuine reaction, my analytical engine affirmed she really cared for you, not a stranger acted as your mother”

“Of course she not” Slaine murmured. He looked away and released his hold over Inaho’s arm. He had mixed feelings pertaining to his mother. He felt guilty for whatever happened to her right after Inaho told her lies. He also did felt remorseful because his mother blamed herself rather than himself for his sins. Yet, deep down somewhere in his heart, he was slightly pleased knowing his mother still concerned about him, even though he had done too many wrongdoings.

Inaho continued. “Once I am confident enough that she is your parent, I told her to calm down and I whispered to her that I lied. She was startled. I quickly instructed her to remain silent to stop her from questioning me in public. After I said sorry to her, I just directed her to come with me.”

Slaine asked in a hurry, “So you bring her to some place and told her that I am alive?”

“No, I just brought her to your room and showed you to her.”

“You did what? Wait, I didn't remember…” Slaine strived to recollect what exactly occurred after their last fight. He did lose track of times during his stay in a medical center and imprisonment period, but he did not think he stayed unconscious for long before awoke with numb sensation against his chest.

“Of course you didn’t remember. You still unconscious. Your condition just stabilized. The same reason of why I managed to bring her to your room. The moment she saw you laid on the bed lifeless and deathly pale, she cried hysterically. I am sure, she wants to hug you, but she unable to do so, due to multiple tubes along with cords attached to you. She could only kiss your forehead many times while squeezing your hand.”

Slaine believed Inaho spoke the truth. Slaine could feel his blood rushed up to his cheek. He took one of the pillows and hugged it as he folded his knees to hide his face. He felt embarrassed since Inaho saw what his mother did to him.

“I never saw her till today. Did she only come once, during my stay in the hospital?”

“No. She came every day. She always stayed for the whole day, waiting for you to wake up. Yet when you seemed to awake, she left. She said she was not yet ready to meet you. After you were conscious, she actually waited outside your room and sneaked to watch you only when you fell asleep. That's her routine until we transferred you out. ”

He felt sudden melancholy upon hearing how his mother carried herself from Inaho. He never expects that he would shed his tears while sinking his face deeper to the pillow.

“I truly regret doing it," Inaho spoke after a few second of silence.

“And why is that?” Slaine took a peek on Inaho, worried if Inaho could notice he did cry. It was fortuitous for him. Inaho still lifted his head up.

“She reminds me of my sister when she cried for me as I ...” Inaho paused for a second. He snapped his head too sudden which Slaine did not manage to look away or to hide his wet lashes from Inaho. Inaho seemed to realize it, but he obviously chose not to remark. Instead, he continues, “...as I decided not to follow her words and still joined the war.”

“You lied. It’s clear she cried like my mother as you get shot by me.” Slaine thought but did not let his assumption heard by Inaho by saying it aloud. The room became silent due to both of them chose not to talk.

"I envied you. You managed to meet with both of your parents. I never had a chance to meet them. My sister, she is only one that I have. She took care of me since both of them died during Heavens Fall,” Inaho broke the silence.

Slaine opposed almost immediately. “It’s better to never meet them at all, rather than losing them later.” Slaine paused before resumed,”You’re blessed to get your share of weal and woe with your sister throughout your life. Honestly, envied you not only due to that basis”

"You’re more fortunate than I am," Inaho argued.

"No, I am not! You're," Slaine denied.

"No, I am not. You’re.”

"No, you're! At least you could stay with own your sibling. You have the special privilege to fully trust her!”

From his point of view, perhaps from anyone view too; Inaho undoubtedly had better luck than he is. Although he had never met his parents, he could live together with his sister.  Someone who is blood-related, an older sibling who was proven to truly care about him. Inaho did not need to live with prejudice and discrimination, like him, during his stay with both Count Cruhteo. Inaho also did not need to be distressed like he did, regarding others ulterior motives during his stay with count Saazbaum.

Even if Inaho’s big sister was a bad caretaker just like his father, at least she would not harm him just like count Cruhteo did. For him, despite his father did not pay much attention to him since he poured it all in his research, just staying around him while reading his own book or scribbled down things was enough. Now he knew that his mother was alive and still cared for him. Still, it would never change the fact that he would be unable to live with her considering his serious crime that required him to be incarcerated.

“By the way, do you know your mother’s maiden name?”

A bit surprised by the question, Slaine widened his eyes. He did not think he knew. He was pretty sure that he never asked her about it. It was a question he believe for a young kid around his age back then, when his mother still lived with him, might rarely inquire. Plus, both of his parents never took him to see his grandparents or other relatives.

“No, I don’t,” Slaine answered simply. He was pondering what uses for him to aware anyway.

“Magbaredge” Inaho merely told him.

Feeling suspicious, Slaine questioned "Magbaredge? Isn't it same with UE President surname?"

"Yes, it is." Inaho appeared to be so casual.

“So when I was still in the hospital, who slapped me when I …" Slaine believed he did not need to finish his words. There was only one person he memorized that slapped him on the face when he turned violent to resist medical care forced on him, with Inaho as one of the witnesses, aside from the doctor together with the nurses in charge.

He still remembered that UE President’s words. "Please bear in your mind that we could not let you die here to be your easy way out to escape our severe punishment for your serious crimes." Since then, he dutifully took his medicines and treatments, looking forward to his death sentence, derived from a misunderstanding of UE President's warning. As weeks and months passed, after he foresee his death penalty would never come, he went berserk to the extent of injured himself. Only a few months ago, Inaho told him that Empress Asseylum, asked him to be saved, thus confirmed he would never able to get what he always waited. He must surrender to the facts he would only get imprisonment.

"Your uncle, of course. Your mother’s older brother."

He could not digest what he just heard. A nephew to a president of United Earth was a war leader at the opposite side.

"Both of them reunited after several years apart when they were visiting you. From their exchanges, your mother appeared to leave her home at a young age. She explained her reason for leaving. It was due to the nature of Magbaredge family as one of the most influential family in the world. Because their families known to excel in both military achievement and business, focused in the aircraft industry, they totally disapprove her major studies in biological science. ”

Based on Inaho’s brief summary, Slaine presumed on what an obscure family that he had.

"Apparently, her marriage was unknown to her family. They never knew your existence too. Hmph... Like mother, like son"

Slaine glared at Inaho. If he was not mistaken, this was the second time Inaho formed a thin smile, almost looked as he was mocking him. “Would you like to clarify what were you implied to exactly?”

Inaho spoke, “You engaged without her approval." Short, yet with insinuation.

“Political marriage never considered feelings into account. I don't think I need to give you a lengthy lesson how political marriage works, do I?”

“There is no wrong about it"

Slaine got the hint that Inaho actually tried to converse with him further. Yet, his choices of words easily misinterpreted. If Inaho conversed with the others, the very same way how he conversed with him, he was sure, they also thought Inaho perceived them to be someone with a lack of intelligence.

"I always thought that you're a brilliant student. Alas, I am mistaken.  Therefore, before I start my lesson, your first task is to look more into world's history related to marriage and politics. You may look into Vers royalties and nobilities weddings if you're willing to."

Slaine hoped Inaho able to grab his clue for not involving him with nonsensical arguments anymore. Inaho stopped talking looked as if he understood Slaine intention.

With almost half an hour passed, which both of them stayed in silence, Inaho finally let his voice out, "I promised to your mother that I will talk to you. You know, I supposed to persuade you, for you to talk with her."

Slaine took a long breath upon hearing Inaho confession. "Like mother, like son indeed. She was unable to stay by my side when I was awake. I too, unable to bring myself to face her. She was supposed to know what I have done. There is no way I could redeem myself"

"Yet, she's willing to wait for you. She blamed everything on herself. Didn't you felt sorry for her?"

Slaine struggled to give his reply. He did want to ask Inaho to give him some time to think before he could give him a definite decision, or maybe several days to prepare himself to meet his mother again.

However, before he managed to tell Inaho about his decision. Inaho already made a suggestion for him. "What I need to do for you to promise me that you would talk to her next time she comes?"

Inaho suggestion supposed to be amusing. Be that as it may, Slaine only shrugged. Inaho already fulfilled his task to save him. No need for him to go till that far, only to patch relationship between them.

Inaho seemed to be unable to regain his usual composure.  "Maybe, I should've told you. They already made an arrangement to take you in."

“I can’t possibly live with them! Did they forget who am I?”

“Then, meet your mother and talk to her.”

"Fine. Back to your promise earlier, prove to me that you already fulfill my wish. Bring me five history books related to second Earth-Mars war around the worlds in a week," answered Slaine after a few moments of thinking.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not sure which novel, but Lemrina's mom kissed Inaho's dad for him to stop Assseylum's dad. Then Saazbaum saved by Slaine's dad. Too many coincidences!. Also, from Q&A, because Slaine's dad too fell too deep in Aldnoah research, Slaine's mom divorced him. I went to a forum, and someone came with a theory that Darzana could be Slaine's mom. She seemed to be fit that characteristics considering she is an independent woman and her eyes design that almost same with Slaine's. But she is too young to be Slaine's mom. So, she could be her sister. But, then again, Darzana was adopted. If she did has a sister, she probably will not be adopted. Since I also had a hard time to come out with a new name. In the end, I just use Magbaredge? -_-;


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** Slaine was spending his days mulled over his accidental promise to meet his mother. Now, he had agreed to Inaho’s plan, he had to prepare himself. **

Slaine was spending his days mulled over his accidental promise to meet his mother. Now, he had agreed to Inaho’s plan, he had to prepare himself. After all, what are there to be talked to his mother? He already asked his mother to forget himself but seemed it was a futile effort.

Reminisced over the days he still lived with his parents, Slaine closed his eyes as he tried to recall those good old days especially when his mother still lived with him. He used to wake up surrounded by wildlife books consist of common mammals, amphibians, and birds or flower and plants books full with familiar herbs that always belong to botanical gardens. One or two must be situated just next to his face, a few others scattered either one or both of his side, while the remaining scattered on the floor, slipped down from his bed around morning, when he deep in a dream. If not borrowed from libraries, most of them were purchased by his mother.

His parent always took turns to leave home and back some days later, resulting him to be so accustomed to possess new reading materials as their promise for him to behave or to make up for their absence. It was very nostalgic for him to own two moderate sizes of bookshelves in his own bedroom. The bookshelves were different in color and height. Even so, the top of both bookshelves can be easily reached by him. All his books supposed to be kept in the shelf, but he loved to read several before he went to bed, flipped through them until he fell asleep. A toy tank and three toy cars that were placed on the rack of bed head rarely touched, except when he needed more space to put his books before he went to sleep.

His father too bought some for him. However, instead of nature discovery for kids, he always got him publication and bibliography related to scientific engineering. Unlike his mother's learning stuff that are meant for children, his father's study materials commonly hard for him to understand. Very detailed, but full with scientific jargon. If he decided to read, he would read them together with an encyclopedia.

Slaine did have vague, small and random recollections of his childhood memories. Still, he could still remember that his mother used to explain and answered his inquiries as a child with patience. Just like how the princess curious about the creatures that live on earth, he also used to be inquisitive whenever he read about them.

_Mom, why do birds fly?_

_Mom, are bats really blind?_

_Mom, look, blue roses! Do they exist? You said red roses represent love. Then, what blue roses represent for?_

Most of his queries already long forgotten, except for several. The only questions that he could bring back to his mind were the others used to refer to his own being. Unable to hold back his tears anymore, he whimpered as he put an arm on top of his eyes while lay down on his back.

"They already made an arrangement to take you in."

Inaho's words keep replaying in his mind. Both his mother and uncle should be completely aware of his previous bad deeds. Yet, the fact they are going to take him was incomprehensible. He ever heard about unconditional mother's love, unsure if that kind of love applied to him. However, he was pretty sure that he did not deserve it.

Too many details need to be considered. Too many questions floating in his minds. If they plan to take him in, how could he refuse? If he failed to refuse them, how he will stay with them? How they planned to hide him during his stay? In the future, will he form strong affection towards them?  And, if and only if he had affection towards them, will they heavily influence his decision, his judgment against which was wrong and which was right.

Living in landing castle of late Count Cruhteo, forced him to learn not everyone would ever offer their generosity. Martian accustomed to view him as scum, lowly Terran. Count Cruhteo used to discipline him whenever he spoke out of turn and despised him for being around.  Sir Trillram used to beat him for no reasons. So paranoid against the viruses that a Terran could spread, they even forced him to wear a glove when he served.  

Only a select few, aside from a princess that ever showed their mercy to him, when he still a servant. However, those kindnesses had greatly affected his decision. An unknown Martian soldier that died right after he saved him made his mind to stay and fight alongside Martian. Count Saazbaum hospitality caused him to save the other from being killed by Kaizuka Inaho, only for the princess to be aimed by bullets next. Leaving his judgment against what was right or wrong  aside, he had chosen a resolve with highest chances for the princess to stay alive,  sacrificing many of his kinds, including his former self in the process.

Living in the moon base with late count Saazbaum, he almost found his solace. But considering count Saazbaum’s grudge against royal families, his heart could not remain in ease. Princess Asseylum lives still in danger. Even princess Lemrina was not bore no ill feeling towards her own half-sister. He was fortunate that he had Harklight remained by his side as his loyal servant.

He despised himself. He could indulge himself with family's love once again. He could start a new life with them.  Still, Harklight and everyone in Stygis squad that had fallen in the last war still haunted his mind. They always fought for what they believe was right.  They fought for their better future in Vers. Yet they died, and he, the one that promised them with such dream, alive.

Slaine twirled and coiled the blanket around his body, formed a little nest for himself while facing the brick wall. Usually, the reason of why he unable to fell asleep again was due to he always spend his time dozing off, but this time around, it was due to he was capsizing  through the pass. Meals that he dutifully used to take abandoned as he lost in his own thoughts. He could feel how puffy his eyes were cause he spent his days crying.

***

An entrance to bullet resistant glass cubicle swung open as Inaho slipped in. It has been exactly a week since his last visit. As Inaho arranged his steps to get in, Slaine noticed something was not quite right with Inaho. Instead of steady steps a soldier would walk, Inaho wobbly walked towards his seat.

He recalled from their several previous meeting, it supposed to be raining season now. Inaho's navy blue suits are all drenched from what he believes was rain. A hand towel hung at one of his shoulders. Taking into account that his hair not all damp, Slaine anticipated that Inaho already dried his hair. Yet some liquids were still dripping from his bangs.

"You've caught a cold. Why can’t you just bring them another day?"

From Slaine interpretation of Inaho's disheveled appearance, he appeared to be worn out. His somewhat tanned face seemed to be a bit pale.  Honestly, he felt that Inaho should rest at home instead of visiting him only to fulfill his promise to bring him several history books on an exactly promised date. Excuses can be constructed later.

Inaho shook his head before replied, "A promise is a promise. I do feel a bit tired, but I don't think I have a cold right now.” Then, he began to unpack several hefty books out of the satchel.

“I don’t want to be a reason for you to fall sick or neglecting your health, only because you want to mend the relationship between my parent and me!"

Inaho movement of emptying out the bag paused for a moment as he lift his head up and looked Slaine in the eye. “Thanks for your concern,” he casually passed his gratitude, before continued to move the remaining books out.

“It's not a concern.  Go back and rest. I will take them from here.” Quickly, Slaine denied Inaho’s statement of him being concerned. However, he could not oppose to the disturbing feelings over his only regular visitor. He moved his hand to take all the books from placed on the table to place them nearer to his side. It was unexpected for Slaine that Inaho would brush his hand off and put his own hand at the top of them.

“I heard from the warden you skipped your meals again. You need to eat first.”

Slaine mouth pouted as he felt somewhat sullen. He would like to retort, but before he managed to, a sudden knock was heard from an outside of the room. Inaho got up from his seat and walked to the door to meet with whoever that knock the door. Once he turned back, he brought together a tray with a bowl and a glass of water at the top and served it in front of Slaine.

"Eat."

“I don’t feel like eating.”

“You looked terrible. You're pale and you have dark circle around your eyes. Are you sure you want to meet your mother like this? ”

"You too. I can say the same applied to you...You're in no position to advise me."

"I am on leave today. I intend to go back and rest after I see you finish your meal today"

Inaho would go back if he finished his meal, Slaine concluded. He pulled the tray nearer. A spoon positioned next to the bowl was taken and used to dip it into the hot soup. Next, a scoop was ready to be shoved into his mouth. But, before he thrust a scoop of gravy soup, mixed with the smell of chicken and mushroom, into his mouth, he stopped midway.

"You, don't happen to put something in here, perhaps a kind of drug that would induce sleep?" Slaine asked Inaho to confirm the mixture of his food. If Inaho knew he did not eat often, he probably knew, he also had trouble sleeping. This was a good chance for Inaho to drug him.

Inaho frowned to his surprise. "Don't worry. I forgot to do so." with nonchalant tone, finally he declared.

Slaine was contemplating either Inaho was joking or if he was really honest. Even so, whatever the reason might be, both were annoying. Still thanks to it, he could eat them without worry. He downed a mouthful of soup and grimaced at the burn that went down his throat. An indication that he forgot his meal was served while it still hot.

"Here, drink this. Sorry, I should first warn you,” Inaho offered a glass of water to him.

Without wasting any second, Slaine hastily took offered glass from Inaho and gulp down half of the contents of the clear glass. Lucky for him that his meal was served with a plain water that neither too cold nor too hot to drink.

"T-thank you." Slaine thanked Inaho before he resumed consuming his food. As Slaine shoved his meal to his mouth, but not without blowing it first, Inaho remained as a witness. He was resting his head over a pile of books. Slaine slightly annoyed under Inaho watch. Still, he decided to ignore him. Both stayed in silence until only almost three scoops of warm soup left when Inaho started to talk again.

"I think it's worth it," he claimed.

An abrupt statement that came out from Inaho made him paused for a few moments. As usual, the other showed no difference in his expression, even he scowled at him.  He returned his sight to the contents inside the bowl and thought further. He believed that he caught a glimpse of what the other meant, but decided that he should wait for him to explain. However, after a moment of silence he did not think Inaho would clarify more, hence he asked, "Why?"

Inaho immediately answered his short question. “It’s worth it while I visiting you when I was feeling unwell. Since I brought back the real you. The real you with the heart that able to care and concern for others.  ”

Only a chessboard, a silver shaded spoon, a bowl containing warm soup, a glass of plain water and a serving tray positioned in front of him that could be used as a weapon to be smacked on Inaho, yet all of them would  be too harsh to be thrown on someone's face. Therefore made he forced himself to hold back an urge to throw any of them. Biting his lower lip was the only thing that he could not control.

Slaine quickly finished his soup that already turned slightly warm, as he lost his patient to demand Inaho for him to leave. "Enough! Now, you had confessed that you're really not in your best condition, please go back and rest. Thank you for dutifully keeping your promise."

A serving tray was pushed aside, right after Slaine emptied his glass.  Inaho subsequently handed over to Slaine all the history books that he requested during the last visit, without wasting any seconds, he scanned through one of the books.

"I am having no knowledge which language you could read or understand, so I bring these along," claimed Inaho as he pushed several dictionaries that match with the textbook printed language to Slaine.

Traveled around the world forced him to learn several languages. Slaine was hesitant if he really needs those dictionaries. “Thank you for being thoughtful." without lifted his head to face Inaho, Slaine finally expressed his insincere gratitude after debated for some time. Leaving earth for years, he might need those as references, in case he had forgotten some words.

Word by word, line by line, clause by clause, Slaine turned the page. "I thought you'll be going back after I finished my meal." Noticed that Inaho still remained at his chair, Slaine stated as to reprimand Inaho.

“Yes, you’re right. I will be back. Just, don’t forget your promise.”

“I won’t. We’re even when it come to promises.” Slaine really wanted to say that he intend to break it, but seeing how keen for Inaho to keep his promises, he unable to do so. "But I need to see what I should in all these." He resumed. The only chance left for him not to meet up his mother was, If and only if, one of the books have nothing for his contribution in second earth-mars war.

“That’s great,” Inaho replied.

Slaine glanced at Inaho as he felt Inaho rose from a wooden chair, worried over his uneven footing.  His intuition was correct since Inaho lost his balance after a few steps of walking. Raised to his feet, Slaine swiftly rushed to Inaho and caught him as he collapsed at his arm. He somewhat jerked when Inaho’s damp jacket touched his skin. It was too cold, yet he dismissed his senses as he took Inaho’s left arm and coiled it around his neck, motioned Inaho towards his seat.

“I see... your reflexes still in top notch,” Inaho commented accompanied by labored breathing.

“Another word and I'll drop you down. You’re heavy,” Slaine stated bluntly as he found out that he really have trouble to make Inaho properly lean onto his own body.

“No, I am perfect fit… you’re the one who’re losing a lot of body mass”

“You’re awfully convinced that I will not drop you down, intentionally.”

Finally, Slaine managed to reach Inaho seat, but unable to withstand Inaho’s weight any further, Slaine accidently dropped Inaho onto the chair. Now, it was his turn to feel increased effort to breathe just like Inaho. There was no wrong in Inaho’s statement. Just to support Inaho for less than one meter from his original position to his final destination, he could feel both his shoulder and waist were aching.

“I guess I get what I deserved. Honestly speaking, I intentionally put some pressure when you’re supporting me.”

“You!” Unable to control his anger over Inaho’s teasing, Slaine grab Inaho’s shirt, a little bit below his collar. Their faces were too close and Slaine could feel Inaho’s breathing touching his skin.

“Sor-”  Inaho incapable of finishing his words to say sorry as he suddenly broke into a coughing fit, made Slaine went panic.

 _What if he was lying? Must he let himself be deceived for the second time? What if he was really sick?_ He indeed did not look so good. “Are you alright?” After debating for sometimes, Slaine finally put his palm against Inaho’s forehead to check his temperature as at last, Inaho was relieved from his cough.

“You’re burning”

“Are you sure? I felt yours was too cold.”

Slaine responded immediately by staring down at his own palm. He only realized that his hand was white as a sheet. There was no doubt that his hand to be extremely cold for Inaho. Noticed that he could do nothing to help Inaho, he ran to the door to call for the guards.

“I-I need help.” Slaine smacked the door repeatedly.

“Where is the General?”

 _He collapsed? He was feeling unwell?_ Recalled last guard dealings, right after he threatens to kill his own mother, he probably should think twice before answering them. Otherwise, he would need to pay for the consequences. “He needs help,” Slaine responded almost promptly.

The door was thrown open in sudden and Slaine jolted. It was fortunate for him to step back almost in an instant, or else his head undoubtedly would collide with the door. His gut feeling proven to be true as both guards appeared to be in confused as instead of Inaho, they found him at the entrance. Once the guards entered the room, Slaine rushed to Inaho. “He was ill”

“Don’t lie? What have you done to him?” The guard appeared to be displeased with the whole situation happened without their presence. Be that as it may, Slaine perceived the guards could not be totally blamed for their irritation.

“I did feel sick and he did nothing wrong. If was not for him, I already cut my head open. You know better that he can’t do much.”

“We’re sorry, Sir.”

“Never mind. Officer, I need you to get my sister.” Slaine became a bystander as Inaho directed his gaze to the nearest guard and gave him an instruction.

“Yes, Sir.” The guard gave his replied and rushed outside obviously to carry out his given task afterward.

"And you,“ Inaho tilted his head to face the other guard. "Please escort him to his cell."  

"Yes, S-"

"We can't possibly leave you alone!" The guard reply was hacked by Slaine.

The male guard with broad shoulders, average height and slightly shorter than the other guard that just left, looked as he agreed with him. Without mistake, he was in awry. Most probably because he fully aware that he had an obligation to obey his superior commands, yet his instinct told him to do otherwise.

"I am fine. Go! Your existence here supposed to be unknown even to my sister."

"You just proved that we really can't let you alone here. You can't think properly. If that was your only reason, you should send me out first, before ask the other to call for your sister. Besides, if I leave now, how confident you're, I will not meet her on my way."

"You will not. Please leave now… You made my headache worse." Inaho put his fingers around his left temple and move his sight away as if to avoid his eye to meet with Slaine’s.

Uncertain by Inaho’s reasoning, Slaine did not talk further. He pushed both his hands forwards to the guard, for his wrists to be cuffed, Yet Slaine’s gaze still locked at Inaho. Better safe than sorry, even Inaho was lying, he decided to trust. Perhaps, he had already bought a few minutes to shorten the interval for Inaho to be left alone. His sister might on her way now. Having almost no knowledge about his private prison, Slaine actually have no idea of the complete floor plan. Inaho knew better. Maybe he would never meet his sister as long as he left the room.

Clicking sound of metal object encircled his wrists marked that the guard already completed his first task. Leading him to his cell would be his next task. As the guard shoved him towards the exit, he managed to stare briefly at Inaho.

“Nao-kun” A warm voice was heard from a corner and Slaine could barely register that Inaho ever widened his eye for a moment.

A pair of hazel eyes met his teal orbs...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What I imagined always end up with different thing as I write. I am wondering if this is normal for other writers.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** A pair of hazel eyes met his teal orbs...
> 
> Is this her sister? They really looked somewhat alike. Similar with Inaho, she also appeared to be soaked by rain. Her long hair, her clothes, all wet. Unbeknown to Slaine, the woman too, was inspecting him thoroughly. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter have been reupload after reviewed by [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha).  
> 

A pair of hazel eyes met his teal orbs...

 _“Is this his sister?”_ They really looked similar. Like Inaho, she also appeared to have been soaked by rain. Her long hair and clothes were all wet.  Unbeknown to Slaine, the woman too, was inspecting him thoroughly.

A loud thump echoed from the small room, followed by stinging pain spreading throughout his back. When Slaine opened his eyes, he saw a woman with hazel eyes was shooting daggers at him. He noticed he had been trashed onto the metal door. A hand already grabbed him by his collar, formed a fist and pressed against his chest, which made it harder and harder for Slaine to breathe.

“You! You should be dead already!”

Yes, he should be dead by now, but her brother insisted on keeping him alive. Her brother was supposed to have left him to fall to Earth, to burn while entering the atmosphere or to be shattered from crashing onto Earth. Her brother was supposed to have shot him on the head exactly where his left index finger was tapping at. Yet, Inaho did  not. Still, Slaine was unable to spill exactly those details. At least, not now. The impact made his head pound as it also registered exactly the same pain that spanned throughout his back.

“Yuki-nee! please, release him...” Inaho suddenly rose from his seat. Slaine swore he could see Inaho was swaying a little, before he reached for the table in order to stabilize his stand.

“Why? Why is he still alive?” The woman tilted her head to look at Inaho. Slaine felt somewhat relieved to not have to force himself to look at the woman’s eyes which he felt were piercing through his soul. But her hand was still firmly clutching his collar and her arm was still pressing  against his chest while pinning him.

"The Empress of Vers…” Inaho started but chose not to finish his words as  Inaho looked at Slaine to reconsider his choice of words. “He needs to be protected under undisclosed peace treaties between United Earth and Vers.” The statement was new even to Slaine.

“Why? And you just go on with it? Are you in charge of his protection now? He shot you!” His sister snarled. She did not release her grip over his collar but instead tightened her hold now and Slaine could feel the pressure against his chest increase. His chest already felt cold due to her drenched arm, dampening his own clothes.  The uneven surface of the door he was slumped against only made the pain on his back worse. Both of his hands were shaking and reaching for the woman’s wrist as an effort to stop any additional pressure.

“Yuki-nee, I will explain later. You’re hurting him. Please…, let him go!”

“Madam, please.” The guard that had been ordered to escort Slaine back to his cell pleaded. How pitiful for him, for another guard to plead freeing him from her grasp. In pain, and unable to breathe, he must have looked so pathetic to others.

The woman turned to look back at him, but Slaine was unable to look at the woman in the eyes. The dizziness from the impact made his focus shift to the top of the woman’s head, as if he was looking at something floating above her head. He could barely notice the pricking look she gave him earlier no longer existed. Eventually, he was freed from her grasp, and he slumped down to the floor, unable to retain his footing.

The guard who had pleaded for Slaine, caught him during his fall, prevented him from completely falling to the floor. The guard pulled his arm so he would fall forward toward the guard’s chest. From the corner of his eyes, Slaine could see Inaho was rushing towards him. But Inaho too, was losing his balance only to be caught by his own sister and by the other guard that was instructed to bring his sister. Inaho fell into coughing fit again. His sister eased him by patting his back. Worry was written all over her face.

Slaine really wanted to ask Inaho if he is alright, but waited for his coughing to subside. Inaho too, was looking at him.

“Are you okay?” Somehow, they asked each other at the exact same time.  Everyone inside the glass cubicle who heard their question was a bit surprised as their question came at the same time.

A glaring dagger was thrown at Slaine once again. But instead of murderous intent which he felt earlier, if he was not mistaken, this time, Inaho’s sister looked jealous as if thinking he was going to steal her brother from her.

“I am alright.” Inaho’s late reply startled Slaine. Slaine abruptly turned his head to look at Inaho. This was his chance to not keep his sight at the woman who was clearly irritated by his very existence.

“I-I am fine.” Slaine answered shortly. Quietly, he sneaked a glance at the woman. The woman had yet to change her gaze. He really wanted to clutch his pendant as a sense of protection, but dismissed the thought. Both his wrists were already cuffed after all. Killing or not, still, her gaze was terrifying. No, her gaze was expected to be terrifying, but he could not fully grasp the feelings behind why her gaze was terrifying. All he felt was remorse. She reminded him of his own mother.

“Officer, bring him to the infirmary. Check if he has suffered any injury.”

“Did you hear me? I am fine! You’re the one who needs a doctor!”

“Haven't you noticed? You bruise easily because of your poor diet.”

“I am not. You should worry about yourself more!”

“Fine. If you’re not bruised, I will ask them to send you straight away to your room. Officer, turn him away, and pull his shirt up.”

“What? Wait! You can't do this.”

Of course the guard ignored him. With both of his hands cuffed, the guard easily manhandled Slaine even when he showed some resistance, turned his back to face Inaho, and his shirt was pulled up afterwards. The gentle touches that he received earlier to prevent him from falling, were now all gone. The woman definitely gasped. He could hear her voice clearly.  He hated showing his scars to  others. He hated how people would pity him solely because of his scars. This was her first time to see his scars. Unlike her, the guards had already seen them countless times. Even though his shower room was inside his cell,, he was only allowed to go in with nothing but a towel around his waist. As for Inaho, he already saw them, when Slaine had first received treatments after their last fight.

“You will go to the infirmary.”Inaho declared.

However, Inaho’s declaration not only irked Slaine. Ordering a guard to make him half undress a moment ago, irked Slaine too. But, thinking through, he too was at fault. He should have simply agreed to being guided to the medical room.

The woman’s reaction was predictable. He could no longer feel her murderous intent. No more irritation. She merely looked away as to avoid looking at him anymore. He really wanted to say sorry. Sorry for shooting her brother. But those words just could not come out. It was not that he thought the woman would never forgive him. It was because he felt he was not worthy to be forgiven. The princess wanted him to be saved.  Of course it did not mean he was forgiven. But the same thing went for his mother. Instead of wishing for her son to be dead for bringing shame to her, he was told by Inaho that she insisted on blaming herself for all his misdeeds. He had easily persuaded Princess Lemrina to activate the Tharsis by merely showing parts of his scars. This woman definitely saw most of them. Not just scars but probably she saw his fresh bruises too. “ _She is Kaizuka Inaho’s sister_.   _She must be as sharp as her little brother.”_ There was no way for his scars to be viewed as an accident. If he said sorry now, the woman probably would forgive him, thinking he suffered some kind of abuse, and his actions were driven by his trauma. The act of forgiveness was too complex for him to understand.  After all, he too, almost forgave his adoptive father, Saazbaum.

“I will be fine with my sister. Officer, I need you to bring all these books to his room.”

Inaho’s command cut him off from his deep thoughts. The books… Right, Slaine almost forgot all the books which Inaho was so keen to bring even when he was sick. Slaine did not remember to bring all those when he wanted to go back to his room earlier. He was so busy dealing with Inaho, who seemed to never care a bit about his own health. Inaho should care about himself more than Slaine’s wellbeing.

Anyway, he guessed, he could never lecture him about that particular subject. He was not setting a good example. How could he advise the other? He decided to merely arrange his step to go to the infirmary when the guard shoved him out. Hopefully after his checkup, he would be allowed to go back to his room, and finish all the books.

“Three days.” Inaho simply stated.

Slaine jerked. “What?” He stopped his movement approximately around half of a meter outside of the visitor room.

“You will meet your mother in three days.”

“I am not yet …” Slaine trailed off. He needed to keep his promise. “Fine.” He replied in short, and looked away before resuming his steps. Another argument would prevent Inaho from seeing a doctor as soon as possible so Slaine decided he should not go any further. In fact, he should have stopped earlier, when Inaho had first asked him to go to the Infirmary.  

 

***

 

“You did have a fever. 38.3 Celsius.” Yuki told Inaho, after she took the thermometer from him.  Inaho laid on the bed under a blanket and had changed into a pair of clean pajamas.  Yuki was sitting next to him. She too, had already changed her uniform to her casual dress. Both of their uniforms were soaked by the rain earlier. Inaho used to prepare an umbrella in Yuki’s car, but Yuki always left it at her workplace.

“You worry too much, Yuki-nee. It’s still considered a low grade fever,” Inaho calmly spoke to ease her.

“It’s still a fever and you even went out in the rain to do nothing but to see him!”

Apparently his sister, Yuki no longer hid that she was both worried and upset.  Perhaps, not only because he ignored his health, but also due to the fact that he went to see Slaine Troyard, who almost killed him and was still alive. To boot, Inaho even hid Slaine’s existence from his sister. He still remembered how angry she was, whenever she heard Slaine Saazbaum Troyard’s name. What was more, she now knew Troyard was under UFE protection just because of the Empress’s request. She most probably thought that was unacceptable.

“I promised him-.“ He started to cough again, which prevented him from explaining his actions. Inaho curled up on his side, with his back facing Yuki.  To stifle his cough, he placed his fingers over his mouth. Yuki gently caressed Inaho’s back, definitely alleving some of his discomfort.

“Yuki-nee I want to talk... I want to discuss with you about him,” Inaho confessed once he felt the coughing no longer hindered his ability to speak.

“I want to ask you about him too, but you need to rest. Is there anything you want? You must eat before taking medicine.”

“Anything is fine”.

“Hmm, how about egg porridge?”

“Sounds good...” Inaho murmured. Surprisingly, he already felt sleepy without taking any medication; it was likely because of the lack of sleep during for past few days from browsing through online shopping websites, as well as online libraries to find all the requested history textbooks.  With a warm blanket and Yuki’s tender strokes over his posterior, he felt even more drowsy

 

***

 

Visiting Slaine Troyard at night was certainly not his routine. His extreme sensitivity to the cold required him to put extra layers of clothing to be out during this time. However he did visit Slaine a few times before, around the same time.  If he could recall, the last time he visited Slaine at night was because he went out of control and injured himself in the process.  

A cool night breeze outside of the safehouse never failed to make him shiver. Without taking his sweet time to enjoy the gentle wind, he entered the building which was undisclosed to the public. No one was available the moment he entered the safe house. He concluded, perhaps all the guards on duty may have stayed at the hall  in front of Slaine's cell or security room to monitor Slaine's activity.

It was disturbingly quiet. If outside of the safe house, he could hear the sound of soughing wind and faint splashing waves from the sea close by; from inside, only  his soft footsteps echoed  through the hall. As he was getting nearer and nearer to Slaine’s room, he could hear the dripping sound become clearer and clearer with each step. _“A leaky faucet must be the cause,”_ he thought. He may need to ask for repairs to be done.

Wandering down the corridor, he could see the door to Slaine’s room was wide opened. He was wondering why the wardens would leave it that wide. “ _They must have brought Slaine to the infirmary, so no one was inside, so no need to be locked. They must have just checked on him when they confirmed he was already sleeping. They must have…”_ Inaho dismissed all possibilities and quickened his pace to see what exactly happened inside. Once he was facing the entrance to the room, he noticed every thought that had crossed his mind before was entirely different. No one was there except Slaine.

“ _Blood…” Slaine_ was sitting at the pool of blood spilled on the floor, leaning his body to the bed. His head was hanging like he was bowing. His temple was dripping blood; it was the source of the sound which was vibrating aside from his footsteps inside the building. Inaho felt he was standing at a murder scene. The current setting genuinely sent a chill down to his spine.

“Slaine!” Inaho called, but Slaine remained silent. Inaho rushed to sit down next to the limp body. He immediately checked for Slaine’s pulse. “ _Weak…”_ Inaho cupped Slaine’s cheek, which made his head lolled to the bed behind him. “ _Cold…Pale…”_ Inaho already felt cold Slaine’s temperature must have been lower as Inaho could feel a cool sensation against his palm. He called the other’s name again, but this time with slightly higher tone, “Slaine!”

“Inaho?” Finally, Slaine opened both his eyes but not without squinting. He reached for Inaho’s hand which was still resting on his cheek, and held Inaho’s wrist with his trembling hand. His eyes closed and opened in irregular intervals. Inaho was somewhat relieved when Slaine was finally conscious and still breathing. Inaho was eager to bombard him with questions of _“who,” “what”_ and _“how,”_ but Slaine needed proper medical treatment. “You’ll be alright. Please bear with me for a while.” Inaho spoke.  

Inaho looked around to find if someone would pass by, but only  to realize the room was a total mess. A white bedsheet was tangled with the blue blanket. A tray was overturned near the toilet. He looked back at Slaine and realized somewhere around his abdomen was bleeding. A trickle of blood was trailing down his mouth too. “ _Did he suffer from internal bleeding? Poison?”_

“Please… Say goodbye to her for me…” A thin smile formed on Slaine’s lip,which gave an eerie feeling.  Slaine appeared to look at someone that had passed through and was looking over Inaho’s shoulder. A shadow casted on the floor from his back grew larger and reflected on Slaine’s face. Subsequently, Inaho turned to find out whose shadow it was. The long loose hair that was hanging at her back was blond in color.

“Seylum-san.” A name slipped out from his lips, but it did not belong to the person who was standing in front of them. She was Slaine’s mother. At the same moment, Inaho felt a grip over his arm was released. Inaho quickly turned to look at Slaine again. What he was feared for already became a reality. Slaine was no longer with him.

“You killed him!” The woman ran to him with both hands ready to choke him to death, like a vampire hunting for its prey.

 

***

 

“Dream?” Inaho asked himself as he sat up. Sweat coated his entire body and  dampened his nightshirt.

Hastily, he reached for his notebook placed on the bedside table. Inaho pointed the cursor to run an application secured by a long password and was a remote security surveillance software to monitor Slaine Troyard at the tips of Inaho’s fingers. Multiple panes were displayed to revealing Slaine’s prison from different angles. Two of the panes clearly depicted Slaine was lying with his chest down to the mattress, reading one of the books that he brought today. One of his arms used to support his face, while the other was obviously used for turning pages. Inaho thought further and came to the possibility the scenes could be easily swapped with prior recording. He read the time shown on the screen and compared it with the time displayed on his operating system..

Both times matched. He outstretched his hand to take his phone which was also placed bedside the table. The panes, his notebook screen and his phone were showing the exactly same hours and minutes. After all his notebook and his phone were both configured to have the same clock . Eight more minutes and it would be three o’clock in the morning. After a few taps on his phone, a beeping tone was heard as he dialed one of the warden’s mobile phone who was expected to be on night shift today.

"How is he doing?" Inaho straight away asked before the his call receiver managed to utter any single words.

"He's fine, Sir."

"I need to talk to him. Can you pass your phone to him?" Inaho asked. He realized he had asked  the guard to do things which she may find unreasonable. After some moments when the guard still did not reply, possibly debating how to execute her task without any risk, Inaho offered some suggestions since this was his first time requesting to talk to Slaine Troyard through the phone. "You’re allowed to shackle him and ask Yori-san to guard inside the room by the door. I can wait.”

"Yes Sir." The female guard finally answered.

"...Hello," After waiting for almost five minutes, Inaho finally heard Slaine’s voice over the phone. He confirmed the situation in Slaine’s room displayed by his notebook, had changed. He was sitting, instead of lying, and his left arm was cuffed to the bed head. A phone was in his right hand, and the warden who Inaho just spoke to was sitting next to Slaine, at his right side. Another guard was shown in another pane, guarding the way out of his room.

“What are you doing? You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

 _“That’s my line, isn’t it?”_ Slaine responded almost immediately. Slaine was right. If Slaine was supposed to be sleeping, so was he.

“I just woke up.” Inaho answered in short.

_“I spend almost of my time sleeping.  So I can’t sleep yet. Anyway, more importantly, how are you doing? ”_

“I’m fine, thanks. How many more books you still haven’t read?”

 _“Two more and I’ll be done. Oh, so you knew!”_ Slaine answered his question and Inaho noticed the other glanced at the closed circuit television installed in his living quarters.

“Don’t ask anything and just say yes when I’m talking. Can you do it?” Slaine was a formidable opponent of his. He should able to figure out what were the motives behind his demand.

“You know I can at least do that.”

“Please be careful, and tell me if you ever noticed something that was not right when we met next two days.”

 _“Yes, Sir!”_  The nightmare was too real that he felt he wanted to smack Slaine’s face for mocking him. After a short pause, Slaine resumed, _“Kaizuka Inaho, I think I have an idea of what has happened to you, but waking up like this will delay your recovery. You should try to sleep. You always said to take care of mine, why don't you set up a good example first?"_

An advice that came from his former nemesis left him speechless and unable to continue their conversation. A sudden crack of light spilled into his room, which startled him.

“Nao-kun, are you awake?” His sister mumbled from the gap formed at the door way. She slipped through the door and brought  some medications and a glass of water. Apparently she had also woken up from her sleep just to make sure he would take his medication on time. “Who’re you talking to?” She yawned, immediately after she finished off her sentence.

“Slaine, we’ll talk again later.” He said before abruptly disconnecting the line, not giving any chance for Slaine to say goodbye properly or passing the phone back to the guard while he was still on the line. He needed to face his sister now. He realized his sister’s eyelids were no longer heavy as she was stunned from what Inaho had said and stared at him waiting for his explanation.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first planned for fic, I really want to have a beta. But I realized, my speed was too slow. As a reader, I always eager for next chapter and I don't care much about mistakes. If I send this to a beta, I may take longer time to complete. I also may have trouble to justify why I decided to maintain on my plot, as I am not a good defender. If I have beta, perhaps I may insulting them by not following their guidelines and corrections. As for this chapter, I need to post it as soon as possible, or else I can't clear my head for my works to come. I am sorry If you realized obvious mistakes in my writing.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **“Did you just talked to Slaine Troyard, or did I mishear you?” Yuki asked Inaho as she narrowed her eyes.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha) to lend me a hand and be my beta. I decided to reupload all existing chapters once proofread done. I reupload first chapter too.
> 
> I am so sorry that I delayed this work for so long. I did not write long either. But next chapter almost finished and I think, I can upload it sooner.

“Did you just talked to Slaine Troyard, or did I mishear you?” Yuki asked Inaho  as she narrowed her eyes. However, she did not forget to pass him a glass of water and some tablets to him.  

“No, you didn’t Yuki-nee. I did talk to him,” Inaho answered nonchalantly as he took everything that was shoved to him and thanked her afterwards.

Once Inaho finished his medications and emptied his glass, he returned the glass to Yuki. Using her free hand, Yuki placed her palm against Inaho forehead. Because she did not comment, Inaho assumed his temperature was presumably better than last night.

“You should go to sleep. Please put aside your work.” She advised while she glanced at both his notebook and phone. Quickly Inaho closed the notebook lid, although he doubted Yuki could see the content of his notebook from where she was.

“Yuki-nee, can you stay? I can’t sleep,” Inaho begged as he looked away.

“Nightmare?”

Inaho nodded as a sign that Yuki was right.

Yuki sat at the edge of his bed, and put the glass down at the bedside table. She hugged him and caressed his back. They were cuddling and Inaho was definitely comforted by it. Yet, her next statement disturbed his earlier comfort, “You had a nightmare and you called him?”

Inaho nodded again, hence his sister’s further inquiry, “Why did you call him?” She was fully aware her brother never explained, unless he was told to do so.

“I dreamt about him. He... Slaine Troyard died in front of me,” Inaho blurted out as he relaxed his head on Yuki’s shoulder.

“I am not suppose to say this, but I am pretty sure I will… you know… I still can’t forgive him for what he did to you.” She trailed off, trying to think of a  better way to say it but the words escaped her lips.

“I guess it couldn’t have been avoided. We were at war. I shot him immediately after he pointed his sky carrier’s cannons at me at Tanegashima. Of course he would shoot me when I pointed a gun at him later.”

Yuki released Inaho from her hug. Swiftly, she grabbed Inaho’s both arms. “What do you mean? That sky carrier was him? When did you ever point a gun at him? You just informed me he was the one who shot you.” She bombarded him with questions, clearly indicating her confusion.

“Because you only asked who shot me Yuki-nee, you never asked me what really happened back then,” Inaho answered. Yuki exasperatedly sighed. Inaho continued. “I too was never aware he was the sky carrier pilot until we met again at Russia. I recognized his voice when he called me Orange. Back in Tanegashima, he demanded to meet to Seylum-san, and I shot him because I thought he might have been sent to assassinate her. Next time we met, he urged me to stay away from Seylum-san. But, I drew out my gun and aimed it at him.”

“I never expected you  to defend him.” Yuki commented.

“No, I just pointed out that his actions were reasonable considering what I had done, and the situation we were in. I would have done the same thing if I were him,” Inaho reasoned.

“Nao-kun!” Yuki exclaimed while using her usual tone, when she was unable to retaliate. After she paused for a few minutes, she continued, “Earlier, you said he needs to be protected under undisclosed peace treaties between United Earth and Vers. Care to elaborate?”

“Seylum-san pleaded for him to be spared. The UE President only decided to follow Empress’s wish, because he had offered to take all the blame for both Count Saazbaum’s assassination plot and Vice Admiral Hakkinen’s classified mission so the other counts would not revolt and to protect the UFE’s secret. We both know Count Saazbaum was the one behind the princess’s assassination  attempt, and Slaine was  undoubtedly aware of the infiltrators at Moon base sent by UFE were targeting her life. Count Klancain also knew.” Inaho briefed, before he murmured, “I wished I knew he was her dear friend back then...”

“What kind of dear friend would wage war under her name?” They were too close that Yuki still could hear Inaho’s soft voice. Apparently, Yuki was fixated on his negative points.

Inaho recalled the moment when the princess vaguely portrayed her terran friend, Slaine.

_He told me many things about Earth._

_The ocean._

_The sky._

_The wildlife._

_The more he told me, the more I wanted to see the Earth which had so captivated me._

_And the more I wanted to make peace with Earth._

“I… don’t have any explanation for his actions. However, he is the reason why she sought peace with Earth. Seylum-san told me the more he taught her about Earth, the more she wanted to make peace with the Earth.” Inaho then recollected the princess’s  plea in the few precious seconds he reunited with the Princess at the Moon Base.

_Please save Slaine._

_Save Slaine Troyard._

_Save him from the chains of misery._

“Seylum-san even begged me to save him. Save him from the chains of misery.”

Spontaneously, Yuki asked him, “What kind of misery?”

“I don't know. Despair?” From how Slaine behaved, Inaho could see Slaine’s misery, Still, Inaho believed he was not the right person to figure it out, so he could never be sure of it.

“Nao-kun!” Again, Yuki raised her voice. She must have perceived his response as unreasonable.

“I only managed to conclude his goal possibly aligned with Seylum-san desire for peace except, in a different way. Do you still remember when I explained to Seylum-san when wars end? Wars end when their goals are achieved. Vers precisely had the goal to conquer the Earth. That was why I assisted Count Mazuurek back to his landing castle to find Slaine’s objective, but he never did found it.”

Yuki sighed. “You just made another confession. You’re the one who released Count Mazuurek.”

Realizing another secret had slipped from his mouth, Inaho quickly apologized. “I am sorry Yuki-nee. I don’t want to involve you. I believed you still remembered when I told you that I doubt anyone would listen to her. Not even if she tried for peace between Earth and Mars again. Still, her last declaration to extend the olive branch of peace to Earth made Slaine Troyard order all his units to surrender. At least that’s what I heard from the captives.”

Yuki adverted her eyes to his phone. “If they were ordered to surrender, why did they still fight?” She inquired.

“I learned those who continued fighting disobeyed his command.” He could remember the moon base was self destructing. However he too, only discovered later that all were instructed to abandon the base and surrender to UFE by Slaine Troyard.

“He still fought you though!” Yuki exclaimed. Anyone who harmed her little brother made her irritated, certainly.

“Judging from how he fought last time, he yearned for death. My eye... He regretted it. He never said it to me, but I could tell he regretted shooting me. He repeatedly pleaded for me to end his life.” Inaho continued, “and thus I wonder what you would have done if I was in his position.” This was his chance to beg his sister for help.

“You would never attack Earth Inaho.” His sister was denying the possibilities.

“We never know Yuki-nee. He is also from Earth, but he ended up attacking his birthplace.” Despite Inaho only using his monotone voice, the long arguments had made him exhausted. He chose to lean on the pillows positioned at his bedhead, which he used earlier when he accessed his notebook.

“It’s probably because he did not have anyone left on Earth! You still have me! You would never attack your own sister right?” Yuki absolutely bothered by his utterance.

“Yes, I wouldn’t. But I am sure he wouldn’t have either.”

“What do you mean Inaho?”

“He told me he had no one waiting for him here. However, he was wrong.  He  still had someone here, even though I doubt he had any knowledge about it at the time,” Inaho reminisced when Slaine proposed for him to be a scapegoat, when he said no one was waiting for him on Earth. “His mother… She came to get him. Yet, he refuses to see her. He feels guilty for all his wrongdoings. He feels unworthy to face her again.”

“He should be…” Yuki was trailing. “Wait, his mother is still around? And his mother simply forgave him?”

“Yes she did. Rather than forgave Slaine, his mother blamed herself for not properly looking for him. She did mentioned to me after her divorce, her husband, Dr. Troyard went missing along with Slaine. They have not met since then.” _“Telling her this should be enough,”_ Inaho thought. He will find another day to tell her Slaine’s mother’s background later.

“Back to your earlier question, I would blame myself too if you did the same thing like him, Nao-kun,” Yuki cupped his cheek after she admitted what she would have done, granted that if her brother had been in their former enemy’s position..

“What if I was suicidal and remorseful due to my bad deeds for attacking Earth? What are you going to do if I didn’t want to meet you after several years of separation, even though you yearned to meet me and forgave what I had done?” Currently, it was Inaho’s turn to shower his sister a number of questions.

“Rather than yourself, you’re talking about him right?” Her sister wanted confirmation.

Inaho nodded silently as he waited for a reply for his previous question. Yuki sat closer to Inaho and moved her hand and gently stroked his hair. She gave him her lazy smile before answering, “I don’t know if I could live without you Nao-kun. I may have an idea of what I could do to persuade you, but that is because we have lived together for a long time. Although, it would not be easy if you don’t want to meet me. On the other hand, I absolutely have no idea if it was him. I don’t know him very well aside from being a piece of sh-, former war leader, who shot my cute little brother and the details you told me a moment ago.” Inaho was glad his sister still listened to him.

“I don’t know him that well either. The truth is, I intentionally asked the guard to pull up his shirt in front of you. When I realized he had that much scars, he reminded me…” Inaho paused as he was wondering if it was alright to make his sister recall what had happened to him at the orphanage years ago before his sister resolved they should leave the residential. His intuition told him not to specify the event was the best, “reminded me when we still lived in the orphanage. You were able to discern what exactly happened to me, even though I tried to conceal it from you. Maybe you know better what kind of misery that Seylum-san mentioned to me.”

“Are you trying to say, by any chance, he acted like you? Like you, he was abused, yet he didn’t care? However when they wanted to mess up with me, you did that to your… bullies, and as for him, anyone who was threatening the Empress life, who is also his dear friend, would be killed, like Count Saazbaum? He sent other counts during the war to die by our hand, because they were also threats to the Empress? However as he took numerous lives of Earth soldiers in the process, he felt guilty about it afterwards? ”

“Mm, maybe…” The deductions formulated by his sister were plausible. Some of her statements seemed illogical for Inaho’s train of thought, still it was not impossible in Slaine’s cases.  Inaho was uncertain what made Troyard behave the way he did, especially considering how others described him otherwise.

“As of now, I was only able to save his life. I don’t think I am done fulfilling Seylum-san’s request. I want to properly save him just like Seylum-san requested. Honestly, I am not sure if I feel as content as I am now if we lived separately, Yuki-nee. Perhaps, if he could spend more time with his mother, he could free himself from the misery that Seylum-san was talking about. Even better if he agreed to live with his mother.” Inaho just stated his desire to realize a wish from someone he thought as a part of himself.

“You cannot assume everyone is like you Nao-kun.” Yuki told Inaho what she think was right.

“But I still need to do something, Yuki-nee.” Inaho stared at his sister's eyes for a few seconds, before Yuki finally submitted.

“Fine. As your big sister, I must help you when you’re in trouble, right? Alright, I will think of something. Now, go to sleep.” Yuki smiled brightly at him, like whenever she felt she was a dependable older sibling. She ruffled Inaho’s hair next, and helped Inaho get more comfortable to sleep. As Inaho felt a warm blanket fully cover his body, he could hear his sister whisper, “Rest well, Nao-kun.”

  
  
  
  



	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** Two days had passed since Inaho nearly collapsed while he was visiting Slaine **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much to my beta, [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha)!  
> All of the beautiful sentences, of course, suggested by my beta. If you ever found any mistakes, I most probably, clumsily missed my beta's corrections.

Two days had passed since Inaho nearly collapsed while he was visiting Slaine. Neither theory nor suggestion came from Yuki since their last discussion. Inaho wanted to believe Slaine would not back out from their arrangement, however, he still needed to prepare an alternative plan whenever he was dealing with Slaine’s unpredictable behavior. Yuki insisted Inaho to stay at home even if he felt better than a few days ago. The fact he was still coughing as of yesterday caused Yuki to make such a decision.

It had also been two days since he last heard Slaine’s voice over the phone. As he thought back to when he called Slaine Troyard, he felt slightly embarrassed to call him just because of a nightmare. Luckily for him, Yuki did not snatch away his notebook while he fell asleep, so he was still able to monitor  the detention facility where Slaine was held. Nothing could raise his suspicion over the footage during the minutes of his watch. The new guard that was assigned recently was not even showing any misconduct  throughout his shift. Although, Inaho may not be able to watch the footage all the time, he still could receive updates from the other guards who he had chosen when he still had an analytical engine as his left eye. He had carefully chosen each and every guard and medical staffs based on their backgrounds. The most important criteria was whether or not  they had any relatives die at the war. His analytical engine had used such criteria to determine how trustful they were during their interviews.

Inaho’s phone rang as he received another update regarding both how Slaine and the new guard were doing. One hour had passed since he immersed himself with reading some journals related to his cybernetics research. Being alone at home granted him to do such things, especially since Yuki decided to go to work today. The clock displayed on his phone screen showed it was already half past three, an ideal hour to enjoy sips of evening tea.  He already expected there to be  no update about the new guard since his shift should have ended an hour ago.  After unlocking his phone and reading the update, he decided to call the guard who had sent him the update. Swiftly he pressed the call button to call the same person he called several days ago.

***

This was the second time that Slaine threw up after he took his meal today. Reading his former life depicted in each history book Inaho had brought nauseated Slaine. Oddly, he did not feel the exact same thing, when he was reading them yesterday, but now he was forced to confine himself in the bathroom after finishing them today. The content found in the books made him recall those unpleasant memories during his reign as a war commander and many others before it. He remembered the slaughter he had done at the Trident base as a count even it was not mentioned in any of the books he read. He recollected the moments when he murdered his adoptive father as a Knight. Last but not least, he still remembered when he shot Trillram again and again to death as a servant. All he could see was blood and another wave of nausea came again.

“Are you done? Are you feeling alright?” A gentle voice was approaching him from the back, at the same time he felt a hand was soothing his back.

Slaine nodded as a response to the warden’s question. “Thank you.” Slaine expressed his gratitude after the warden passed him a hand towel. It was the same warden who prevented him from falling after he was released from being pinned by Kaizuka Inaho’s sister. The guard cleaned the mess for him as he was told to rest at his bed.

“Sir Kaizuka wants to talk to you.” A familiar voice informed. The voice came  from a female warden who passed him the phone last two nights.The same scenario during last two nights repeated except, neither of his hands was chained to the bed. He suspected, the guards probably concluded it was unnecessary considering his current condition.

 _“How are you?”_ Now it was Inaho turn to ask him the same question like the guards have done earlier.

“You should ask that question to yourself.” Slaine thought, _‘Why does he even bother to worry about others when he is sick?’_

 _“I already regained my health back, and it seems you’re  ill now. I will ask the doctor to check on you. Rest well. I don’t think it is necessary to remind you that you need to see your mother tomorrow. Or… actually are you nervous about tomorrow’s meeting?”_ Kaizuka Inaho reminded him. The last question ticked him off. Perhaps because, it nearly hit the bullseye. The source of his sickness had not originated from the books. Yet, he settled to disregard it.

“Don’t worry. I remember. But first, I need to confirm something with you regarding the books you had brought.” The second he finished his sentence, probably made Inaho think he will refuse to meet his mother next day. He really wanted to add, _‘Depending on your answer, I will insist not to  meet her tomorrow,’_ but dismissed the intention as Inaho might twist his reply.

_“Go on.”_

“Why does every book depict me in my servant’s attire. Why does every single one of these books published on Earth have the same image of me?” Slaine questioned.

 _“We don’t possess any pictures of you in any Orbital Knight uniform. Remember, you blew up the moon base, which was probably the main source to get you latest portrait?”_  Slaine was unsure if Inaho was taking a chance to mock him.

“I thought you all had pirate broadcasting?”

 _“I am not sure which channel  you used when you were issuing your command, but your broadcasts were not as clear as the im-, princess’s broadcasts. We doubt we could get a proper illustration from them to be printed at the paper.”_ Slaine was fully aware Inaho had almost slipped his tongue when mentioning the impostor.

“What an irrational reason, considering they were coming from you!”

 _“Up to you. Do not forget, you cannot break your promise. You only asked for your history to be written, not how it will be published. Plus, I already fulfilled mine. It’s your turn now.”_ Slaine recognized the sound that come next due to Inaho already cut off the line, similar with nights ago. If the phone was not the warden’s, he would have smashed it as hard as he could.

***

Slaine felt cold to the bone when he awoke in the morning. He shifted to find a breakfast tray had been served on the table next to his cell entry. The truth was, he did not feel like eating, but he felt he should take it since he already skipped his last two meals the other day. One of the books slipped from the edge of his bed and fell down as he rose from his bed. He ignored the book as he made his way to small washbowl at a corner of his cell to wash his face.

Once he was done washing his face, he looked into an acrylic mirror, which was what Inaho told him when he first placed his hand over it months ago. From his reflection on the mirror, he noticed that his face was flushing. His head felt unusually heavy and he felt that he could fall anytime soon. The doctor who checked on him yesterday diagnosed he was catching a common cold. He was advised to take plenty of fluids and sufficient rest. He recalled that Kaizuka Inaho was sick during his last visit and reached to a conclusion that he might have gotten infected around that time. Logically thinking, Inaho was not fully at fault. Not that he wanted to be sick anyway. It was fair for Slaine to suffer the same illness since he was also the cause for Inaho to ignore his health.

Slaine needed to meet his mother today. Although he was not in his best condition, he deemed it necessary to hide his weariness as not to worry his mother further. He turned to the table for his meal, but the sudden movement made his head spin. Slaine quickly leaned on the wall for support before taking several slow steps to the tiny dining table. Somehow, he lost his balance after taking a few steps before he managed to sit. All he could register was the cluttering sound and a shrill voice as everything fade to black.

***

When he came to, he was surrounded by darkness. All he could hear was someone calling his name, but he could not determine who was calling him.

_“Slaine, Slaine, are you awake?”_

He wanted to answer the question yet he could not open his eyes let alone his mouth. As time passed, he finally felt someone's hand was holding his own. He squeezed the other hand to tell her he could hear her voice, even if he could not open his eyes or speak. He could feel a cool sensation against his forehead and the back of his neck, and he could hear the voice become clearer. He grew nostalgic as the voice definitely belonged to his mother. Every time he felt the sensation, he wondered if he was dreaming.

_“Slaine, please open your eyes, my dear.”_

Next, he felt another hand was caressing his left cheek. The plea urged him to try harder. At long last, after what felt like forever, he was finally able to open his eyes. Even though he was forced to squint his eyes due to the lighting in the room which was too bright for him, he still could recognize the person sitting at his right side. His guess was right. The voice which was calling his name and the hands which were holding his own and caressing his cheek belonged to none other than his mother. Her turquoise eyes, accompanied by long wet lashes clearly indicated that she was crying, were staring at him.

“Thank god! You’re awake! How are you feeling my dear?” She smiled, however, she still looked worried.

“Mom... Am I dreaming?”

“No, you’re not.”

He hated the voice that was answering his question on behalf of his mother. He was happier if all of this was a dream yet the statement proved otherwise. However, Slaine couldn't help but wish he could go back to the times when he was a child, when he was still worthy of his mother's embrace. He longed for his mother but knew now he did not deserve her for what he had done. He rolled his eyes to look to the owner of the voice who just spoke to him and found Kaizuka Inaho was standing at his left side.

“You’re in the medical room. You collapsed and I asked them to bring you here.” Inaho gave him multiple answers that he actually not needed, perhaps derived from a calculation of what usually a person who just regained consciousness would ask.

He meant to ask politely but his throat was so dry and he only managed to say,  "Can you... leave us alone?" He hoped Inaho would respect his request.

"Alright, but first you might need help with that," Inaho replied while pointing his finger in the direction where his mother was sitting.

Slain changed his gaze to his mother and found she was about to hand him a glass of water probably realized he need it considering his croaking voice. At first, he thought  Inaho’s help was unnecessary. But he was forced to accept the offer after he fell back to the pillow layered with an ice bag at the top when he tried to sit. Moving too fast had led to headaches. Vomiting and skipping meals had rendered him listless. Without waiting for Slaine to respond, Inaho had slipped his hand over Slaine's back and helped him sit up. His mother held the glass to his lips to aid him to drink.

He was staring at his mother as he was drinking, wondering when he last fell sick as a child. Lost in thought caused him to choke over the water that he drank and to cough violently. Some water spilled onto his shirt. His mother quickly settled the glass back on the table and withdrew a handkerchief out to wipe both his mouth and  to dry his cloth. She patted his back, even though she had no idea it could not avail him to get better. Worry was written all over her face. He really wanted to make his mother not worry over him, but he could not. Not in his current condition.

Once his coughing fit subsided, he felt the water he drank earlier was still not enough to soothe his throat. He did not ask, but he tilted his head to look at the glass filled with water in half. His mother appeared to understand what he needed and brought the glass to his mouth once more. As soon as he emptied the glass, Inaho laid him back to the pillow. He promptly closed his eyes as to prevent nausea. He could feel someone dab at his temple, cheek bone and neck probably attempted to dry his sweat.

"You need rest. Please go to sleep first. You can talk to your mother later." Inaho eventually spoke.

"I want to talk with her alone now, please..." Slaine grabbed his mother's hand using his right hand and held it tightly. Somehow, he felt he insisted for his mother to stay. He did not want to be left alone. He did not want his mother to leave him.

"Alright, I will leave. But I don't want you to threaten us like last time," Inaho was giving him a word of advice before made his way to being out of the room.

Instantly after the  door behind Inaho closed, Slaine looked at his mother back. Without wasting any seconds, he begged for pardon for everything that he remembered  he did amiss, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry Mom, really... Sorry for threatening to kill you... Sorry for attacking Earth... Sorry for bringing shame to you," Slaine asked for his mother forgiveness. He was unable to restrain his tears from running down to his cheeks. Although it was quite difficult  for him to move around, he did try to move a little so he could lie on his right side and put his remaining hand on top of his mother's.

His mother was unable to hold back her tears as well. "No, my dear. Please, I'm the one who should say sorry, not you. Everything was always my fault. If I had tried harder to get you back, you would never have gone to Mars. You would have been here, with me."

"No, I'm at fault. I'm responsible for my own actions. You never taught me to kill! Yet, for what I've done... Please... Forgive me." Slaine closed his eyes as he was weeping. His hold tightened over his mother's hand.

"No, Slaine. Look here, look at me, my dear." His mother released herself from his grasp. Both her hands were set to gently touch his both cheeks then. "Answer my question, please. Honestly. You did not attack Earth just because you wanted to kill me right?"

Slaine looked his mother in the eyes and quickly nodded his head. "No, Mom. I could never kill you!"

"And so, you have done no wrong to me, there is nothing for me to forgive you." His mother obviously tried her best to sway him.

"Sorry, I am not a good child." It was the only words he could say after submitted to his mother's persuasion.

"Shh... I'm not a good mother either." His mother put his hand over Slaine's mouth as a sign not to talk further. She dried Slaine's  wet cheeks with her thumbs. "Now go to sleep, please... Or are you unable to sleep when I'm here? "

"No, please... Stay a bit longer." Slaine grabbed his mother's sleeve.

"I will wait here. Don't worry." His mother said, and his mother really did what she told. She remained, while making certain to dry his sweat, and felt his temperature using her palm or her backhand.

When he almost fell asleep, his mother gently called his name, "Slaine, Slaine... Is there anything that you want to eat?" She asked before resuming, "I will prepare anything  for you."

Straightaway, a sandwich filled with strawberry jam came to his mind, but the only words escaped from his lips were,  "Anything you prepared, is fine for me..." It had been a long time since he last ate his mother's cooking.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** When Slaine opened his eyes again, instead of his mother, a male nurse was standing beside him. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you a lot to my Beta [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha), for reviewing this fast!

When Slaine opened his eyes again, instead of his mother, a male nurse was standing beside him. “Sorry to wake you up, but we need to move you. The AC here suddenly broke.  If you stay, I’m afraid your condition will worsen. The only other place for you to rest properly is your room.” He was the one who gently called his name to wake him up.

The nurse did not look as if he was lying.  Indeed, Slaine could not feel the exact temperature because he was having a cold, but he could sense his body slightly warmer than earlier. He also found his clothes were damp due to sweat.  Judging from how the nurse looked, he trusted the nurse did feel hot. Beads of sweat trickled down from his face. Slowly, Slaine sat up to be ready to move out from the medical room. He looked around to search for his mother. There were so many things he wanted to ask his mother, but he had been too tired earlier.

“She already went home, not long ago,” the nurse stated, which startled Slaine.  He looked back to the nurse to reconfirm what he had heard. “She said she will come again later,” the nurse continued.

“Did she... tell you when?” Slaine asked the nurse after taking a glance at the clock hanging on the wall in front of him.

“No, she didn’t. But I believe she will come again... sooner than you think,” the nurse said and was smiling at Slaine before adjusting the IV drip attached to Slaine’s hand. He recalled the conversation he just had with her mother. He swore he was unable to face his mother last week.   Having met his mother today, Slaine had felt so anxious to the point he could vomit.  Ironically, he could not bring himself to part from his mother just a moment ago.  He could recollect that he did act like a child when his mother was present. What was more, Inaho also witnessed his act and heard his plea to be alone with his mother. He felt his blood was rushing to his face out of embarrassment.

“Oh, no. You’re looking rather flushed.  I should move you sooner or you may suffer a heat stroke,” the nurse said, clearly misunderstanding why Slaine was becoming flushed. Then, he asked for Slaine’s permission to change his cooling sheet placed against his forehead to ease his fever.  “Allow me,” he asked, and Slaine assisted him by keeping back his bangs up.

“Thanks,” Slaine said after the nurse had finished placing a new cooling sheet against his forehead.  As he saw the nurse hurry to get a wheelchair nearby, Slaine halted him by saying, “I-I think I can walk,” as he protested to being moved to his cell on a wheelchair.  The fact that he was able to sit up without aid and without feeling dizzy made him believe he already felt better. His body was no longer aching as much like when he first awakened either.

“That’s just the temporary effect of the medications and IV drip you just received,” the nurse explained to Slaine while pointing to the IV pole next to him.  “You didn’t even eat anything up to now. I don’t want to take any risks if you feel worse soon,” he spoke and again smiled to him before walking towards him with the wheelchair.

He concluded the nurse was probably right. He never knew when the effect of the medication would wear off, and thus he decided to follow the nurse’s advice. As the nurse set the wheelchair next to him, Slaine was preparing to stand on his feet to move himself to the wheelchair. He never expected that the nurse would slip one of his hands behind him and the other one under his knees, during the time he was almost finished putting on his shoes. He did not manage to retort when the nurse lifted him from the bed to the wheelchair.  For him, everything that the nurse did, happened too quickly, since he already found himself sitting in the wheelchair, ready to be moved to his room.“T-thank you,” Slaine only could manage to convey his gratitude. “I-I’m sorry, but no need for you to lift me,” he added.

“No need to say sorry. I simply wanted to move you out as soon as possible,” the nurse said and seemed to tell him the truth.  He then, placed the IV pole behind Slaine’s wheelchair and proceeded to wheel him out of the medical room.

“I’m sorry to be such a burden,” Slaine apologized as he perceived that he would have slowed down the nurse’s job if he were to stand and walk to the wheelchair without being lifted before. He had no idea what expression the nurse was making as he could no longer see the nurse's face.  The nurse was walking behind him, leading him to his room.

“You’re sick, and it’s my job to tend to sick people,” the nurse replied.  Without looking at the nurse's expression, the only thing that Slaine could read was his tone, which was definitely pleasant and kind. There was no hint that he was burdened or irritated by his task.

As usual, the act of kindness distressed him. They knew exactly who he was. For Slaine, the wardens, the nurses, the doctors, they all seemed kind towards him. Even his own mother was willing to forgive him.“You're too courteous to me. You know well what I have done specifically,” Slaine murmured. Oddly enough, he never became bored to ask the same question over and over again.

“You mean offering yourself to bear the blame so the war would not be prolonged?  It’s humble, so I have no issue of being nice to you,” Instead of reciting a Hippocratic oath like the other nurses and doctors that he had encountered, this nurse had given him an unexpected answer.

Slaine clearly was shaken by the fact that the staff assigned to his detention facility even knew his proposal to be a scapegoat. “Wait, you knew?  No, I didn’t intend to ask that!  What I imply is that my deeds before that, I led the war. Why are you ignoring the fact-”

Regrettably, his question was cut off by the nurse.  “I had a feeling this would become a long argument. I don’t think I need to recite the Hippocratic oath right? I believe you remember it well, from the doctors and nurses who you asked them with the almost same question previously.”

“It’s unfair.  You all are being excessively nice...” Slaine mumbled.  He could hear the nurse chuckle upon hearing his remark.

“We’re not.  We’re merely doing our job. What’s done is done. The present is more important.  Honestly, I’m not certain what I would do to you, if I had lost someone dear in the war.  But, why should I treat you otherwise while you’re clearly feeling guilty over whatever you have done? Maybe you could do something for us in return.  If you take care of yourself, then we would have no job here.” The nurse had given a somewhat longer explanation, but had obviously remarked his intention for Slaine to look ahead.

As far as he could remember, each and everyone, did not treat him like a prisoner of war that he was supposed to be, but more like a patient who suffered from some sort of psychological pain.  After being unable to hide his depression to the point of making a few attempts to harm himself, he could not blame them for treating him like someone who needed psychotherapy.  And once they decided to recite their oath as a physician, there was no means for him to retaliate. He wondered if his father too had sworn an oath as an engineer to the extent that he was willing to leave the Earth.

As soon as he reached the front of his cell, Slaine quickly asked the nurse, “Can I walk?” He hoped that the nurse will permit him to do so, since he only needed to walk a few steps forward to his bed.  He also wanted to keep the nurse from lifting him. It was embarrassing for him to be lifted like earlier in front of the guards, especially when he was conscious and was capable of standing.

“Okay, but please be careful,” the nurse finally allowed.  Slaine was mistaken when he imagined the nurse would let him walk alone. The nurse never released his hold over Slaine’s arm, as he guided Slaine to the bed, probably intended to support him, if he ever lost his balance.

The moment Slaine reached the bed, Slaine realized a tray of food and drinks were served on his bed, and not on a table where he used to feed. “You can just eat here.  Once you have finished, just set them on the floor.  I will get it later,” one of the guards, who came after the nurse in his room, explained to him. A change of clothes was also prepared. “You might want to change into those if you feel uncomfortable since you’re sweating a lot,” the nurse resumed where the guard left off.

Only when Slaine was already sitting on his bed, the nurse did let go of his hold over Slaine's arm. The nurse ensured Slaine was comfortable by stacking two pillows behind his back for him to rest on.  The guard was holding the tray, before placing it on his lap.  Slaine’s unease must have been obvious because the guard immediately told him, “I don't want you to fall again like this morning. He told me you got new bruises,” the female guard blurted out as she looked to the nurse. She probably was the one who witnessed the moment he collapsed.  Slaine too did feel some parts of his body were aching earlier, but had mistaken them as a consequence of his fever.

The tray was filled with a bowl of chopped fruits, a bowl of porridge, a glass of orange juice and a glass of plain water. _“There was too much to be eaten,”_ he concluded. He wondered why they prepared two kinds of foods and drinks at the same time in a large serving size.  They should realize by now he only possessed a small appetite to begin with.  He was curious if Inaho had ordered them to prepare more options for him to consume.  It had occurred back when he used to skip almost every meal.

“She brought the fruits, and General Kaizuka ordered the cook to serve them to you,” the guard elaborated and incidentally answered his curiosity.  “They’re good for your recovery,” the nurse added while he was setting the IV drip, next to his bed.

“She... You mean…” Slaine was contemplating whether or not he should complete his sentence.  “ _Did they recognize who she was specifically?”_

“Yes, the woman with blond hair who came to visit you with General Kaizuka,” the guard confirmed. Still, the guard’s reply did not tell him if she knew the woman was his mother or not. Slaine judged he would question Inaho later. Inaho also owed him an explanation as to why the staff  knew of his proposal to be blamed.

His stomach growled, forcing him to consume something. He pondered if the nurse and the guards could hear his stomach was grumbling.  He believed they did, because the female guard already turned around, looking eager to leave him alone while the nurse grinned. “Please eat,” he said, before following the guard to be out of his room.

 

*****

 

Slaine took a look at a slice of white frosted cake served with a glass of water for him by one of the guards. If he could properly identify the fruits used as decoration, there were kiwis, apricots, and strawberries on top and in between two layers.  For a few moments, he was thinking whether the cooks specially baked him a cake from the fruits that his mother brought.  Because he did recall, some of the chopped fruits he ate earlier were the same.

He laid the book he was reading down on the table. He had moved from the bed to the table to read a book a while ago as he had grown bored of staying in bed.  The nurse had already removed the IV attached to his arm, after deciding he no longer required it. The guard brought in a chair and sat in front of him. If his memory served him right, he had only seen this guard recently. _“Newly assigned officer,”_ he guessed.  He stared at the guard, awaiting for his explanation.

“Today is my son's birthday," the guard spoke.

"Happy Birthday... For your son...” Slaine wished before he continued, “and Thank you... Really, it had been so long..." He truly never thought that he would have a chance of eating cake again once he had departed for Mars seven years ago. Mars lacked the resources.  Both his father and he could never bake one if they actually wanted to. Not that both of them skilled enough to prepare one.

"Sorry, if it seems inappropriate to be served. It's homemade. I baked it myself," the guard declared after seeing he was staring at the cake and had yet to eat it. Slaine’s assumption was right. There is no way a cake with such a chaotic decoration would be up for sale in the first place. The filling and fruits were in total disarray.  The frosting that covered the cake was unevenly spread and a layer of chopped nuts around the cake side was too thick.

"It's unusual, well ... for a man to bake a cake”, the words escaped Slaine’s mouth before he could reconsider.

"My wife left me a few years ago because she was unhappy with my job.  I had a tough time thinking what I should get my son for his birthday. My co-worker suggested that I should bake my own cake for him.  I got the recipe from some sites. Honestly, it is easier said than done."

This guard’s story suddenly triggered Slaine’s memories of his father when they were still on Earth.  He could still recall how his father had raised him as a single parent. His father’s cooking skill might not have been good, but Slaine knew his father was doing his best for him. He still missed the jam sandwiches that his father prepared for their last picnic on Earth.

"I'm sorry to hear that. It must be hard on both of you". Slaine apologized as he regretted asking a question that might bring back bitter memories.

"No, it's okay. It's all in the past," The guard responded while smiling, but Slaine could feel it was a forced smile.

"Where is your partner?" Slaine asked as tried to change the subject he believed the guard was also struggling for the same thing after a long silence.

The guard paused for a moment before replying to him, "She is not feeling well. She already asked permission to leave early. Another staff will join me soon for tonight's shift."

Slaine seemed to notice that the female guard earlier, who was thought to be the guard’s partner, had repeatedly rushed to some corner not long ago. _“Maybe the washroom,”_ he assumed.

"Are you that worried to eat my cake?" The guard asked since Slaine was still gazing at the frosted cake in front of him without any attempt to take a single bite.

"No, it’s not. It’s just that... I don't know if I deserve this... You definitely know who I am right?" Slaine asked. He noticed he had asked the same question too many times, even to a different person. The cell once again became silent before Slaine spoke "Are you okay to be alone with-."

The guard abruptly interrupted his inquiry, "Yes I am. Sorry, but seeing you like this, even if you decided to attack me, I doubt you can ever win. Actually, I meant to ask, are you feeling better now? You look pale and I heard you fainted this morning."

"I'm feeling better now. Sorry to burden all of you." The truth was, he was lying. The effect of the medication was wearing off. Somehow, he regretted trying to read a book, as it had made him slightly light-headed. But, there was nothing else he could do aside from sleeping and reading. "Sorry, about this…” Slaine looked at the cake, before he resumed, “ I am afraid it's going to be a waste. I may throw up again. It is better to give it to the other guard who would take your partner's shift."

"I doubt you will puke after eating just a little piece of it.” The guard apparently insisted for him to eat the served cake.

“Yes. Maybe.” Slaine did not want to disappoint the guard as he reached for the fork and began to cut the cake into a  tinier piece. He stopped before bringing the cake into his mouth. He thought he still needed some time as he felt his nausea come back. “May I know how old your son is?”

“He's supposed to be 10 this year,” the guard replied.

 _“Supposed?”_ Slaine repeated as his eyes widened. He felt something was off.

“As for your question earlier, you definitely deserve this. I believe my son also wanted to give his share to you," the guard resumed and smiled.  But, in some way, he felt the smile he saw was eerie.

Slaine looked again at the cake which he was meant to eat.  He put back the fork along the same small plate used to serve the sliced cake. “Honestly I would love to eat it, but I prefer that you will never get caught because of this.”

“Oh, so you know?”

The last statement that the guard just said confirmed Slaine’s hunch.  “You can simply drop a shaving blade or break a glass by accident in front of my cell. I could take it discreetly and slit my wrist whenever I have a chance to do so. You do not need to get punished for killing me.” Slaine felt that he should give a suggestion that would be a better option for the guard in front of him to end his life without getting caught.

“There is no fun in killing you that way.  I want you to suffer,” the guard smirked while denying Slaine’s proposed alternatives. “I've planned for too long. I had put a laxative into Aoi-san drinks, broke the AC to find excuses for Ichi-san to get some ice and medical equipment, swapped the recording here and prepared this cake exclusively for you on this specific day. We're alone now,” the guard confessed.

This guard was new. Each and everyone he met after he fell onto the Earth, in the hospital, in the detention facility where he was currently held, had treated him like he had done nothing wrong, although they were fully aware of who he was.  He could catch an unpleasant expression from some of them, but they still did their best to fulfill their responsibilities and never harm him. But this man, was trying his best to kill him. But, the guard came too late and took too long to plan.  If the guard had come sooner, when he had no idea the princess wanted him to be saved or that his mother was waiting for him, Slaine would have gladly consumed the cake without thinking twice.

“Besides, I have another plan as to how I can escape this,” the guard chuckled. “Your mother. If I’m not mistaken, she will come soon. Am I right?”

“She’s not my mother!” The guard reminded Slaine that his mother would arrive shortly. He was wondering if everyone in the detention facility knew his mother. How could he convince the guard the woman coming was not his mother?  He was fine if the guard decided only to kill him, but now the guard was involving his mother. What was the guard planning to do with his mother, and what was his original plan to escape?

“Really? Why is she so special then? Even General Kaizuka allowed her to bring food. We are not allowed to serve you food from outside, you know?”

“I didn’t know,” Slaine said while glaring at the guard.

“It will be unfortunate for her to visit you around this time then. I had first planned to blame the cook. Now she’s coming, I can put the blame on her. Oh, no, no. I've a pretty good idea. I can mask this as a murder-suicide. I can say she brought this cake and ate it together with you.” the guard explained and smirked.

Swiftly, he grabbed the guard’s collar using both of his hands. “Leave her alone!!” Slaine shrieked at the guard as loud as he could. He locked his sight on the guard’s eyes.

“She’s your mother, indeed,” the guard confirmed. Clacking sounds followed and Slaine realized both of his wrists were cuffed. “Got you...”

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** “Where are you going Nao-kun?” Yuki asked. Her voice startled Inaho as he was putting on his navy blue coat, clearly hurrying to be out of their apartment. **

“Where are you going Nao-kun?” Yuki asked. Her voice startled Inaho as he was putting on his navy blue coat, clearly hurrying to be out of their apartment.

“Yuki-nee, can you drive me to that building?” Inaho never told his sister before, the building she used to drive him was Slaine’s detention house. All he said would be that he had classified matter to attend whenever his sister asked. At some point, his sister finally ceased to ask him further.  However, she now was fully aware what was within the building.

“I drove you there this morning. Why should you go there now? Did his condition worsen? Someone there can look after him, right? You just recovered too...” Inaho could sense his sister’s mixed feeling in her tone; anger, curiosity and worry.  “We just got home,” Yuki added. She was making an excuse not to go.

Inaho knew that they only arrived home, after having dinner at Inko’s family restaurant.  They had not been home long enough to change from their working attire either. After reaching home, Inaho realized he had not received any updates from the guards. He checked the footages over Slaine’s detention facility, only to find some of the footage had been swapped with a previous recording.  He really wanted to believe that he was watching them wrong, or at least the time configured on the system was wrong.  However, he was forced to push aside the thought when he received a message from the female guard stating she was suddenly feeling unwell. Inaho tried to call the nurse and the new guard, but both of them were not answering their phones.  The cooks’ shift was supposed to have ended after they prepared dinner, so the only option left for him was to call another guard to fill in, but it would require some time for him to get to the facility.

“I’m afraid it may be worse than that. I can’t contact anyone there and the footage… We need to hurry! I will fill in you the details while you’re driving.” Somehow, he felt that his frightening dream was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Each second was precious. Slaine's life might be in danger and Inaho did not want his nightmare to become real.

Seeing his sister had not move an inch, Inaho was unsure if his sister was tired or disliked the notion of sending him to meet the person who nearly killed him, but he needed to ensure Slaine was safe as soon as possible. “I’m sorry Yuki-nee, but I need to go. If you can’t drive me there, I will.  I don’t have time to ask Calm,” Inaho stated while reaching for the keys hanging on the wall next to the doorway.

“Wait!  I will drive,” Yuki finally offered her assistance.

 

*****

 

A punch landed on Slaine’s stomach, forcing him to curl forward, right after he noticed his hands were cuffed.  If he ate plenty today, he was pretty sure, he would have puked up his stomach’s contents. He felt that he had forgotten to breathe. His knee was also shaking due to the pain, trying to withstand his own body weight.

The guard seemed to use his given opening wisely. Without giving Slaine any time to recover, he quickly pulled Slaine by the handcuff to his side, thus closing the gap between them.  Slaine tripped over one of the table legs, leaving the guard a chance to immobilize him.  The instant Slaine lost his balance, the guard caught his shoulder and rammed his body to fall backward onto the cold floor.

His back ached. His head hurted.  When he opened his eyes, he sensed that he was already lying on the icy ground with the guard towering over him. The guard trapped Slaine between his thighs. He pinned both of Slaine’s wrists on his left side.  Slowly, he fetched the plate with the offered cake earlier and placed it on Slaine’s right side. Next, he brought down the glass of water and put it near to the cake.

Slaine could predict what the guard would do next.  However the way he was now, reminded him of when he was tortured by Count Cruhteo, anxiously awaiting what kind of pain he would experience next. Be it electrocuted, beaten or whipped.  But he forced himself to cast those memories aside.  He needed to find a way to free himself, or else he would be unable to prevent his mother from being killed next.  Slaine squirmed under the guard’s hold, but was unable to break loose. The metal cuff made the guard’s work easy.

 

“ _Speaking of which, I heard that you don’t eat again?”_

_“Eat. Or your body will break.”_

 

Only now did Slaine regret not following Inaho’s advice to eat right. Had Slaine taken better care of his health months ago he would surely have had a better chance defeating the guard. The guard did not even bring a firearm into his cell. He wondered why he did not carry it on his back as usual but perhaps the guard was simply afraid Slaine would steal it while trying to restrain him; the guard must have overestimated his capabilities to fight back. Still, the guard’s movements proved he had thought thoroughly how to end his life.

“Frankly, I didn’t imagine it would be this easy to disable a former war commander. I never expected you to fall into my trap.  But, I am not lying when I said I would disguise this as a murder-suicide. Consider it as the price your mother paid for giving birth to you,” the guard nonchalantly remarked.

Slaine could only throw the guard a glaring dagger.  His ignorance towards his own health during his stay in the detention facility, not only reduced his physical capacity but also dulled his mind. He decided neither to exhaust himself wriggling nor to fall to the other’s provocation again. _“Can I persuade the guard that his deceased son would be sad if his father became a killer?”_ No, he could never be the person to say that particular line. Plus, if he opened his mouth now, the guard would immediately shove the poisonous food down his throat.

He did not know how long for the poison would affect his body. If it took hours to take effect, he probably could prevent his mother from becoming a victim. Even though he might be unable to save himself, he possibly could persuade the guard not to involve his mother. On the other hand, if it took seconds or minutes, the guard would succeed to mask his death as a suicide-murder. He would not allow whatever the guard had planned to happen. He would not tolerate if his mother was to be accused of being a murderer and was believed to take her own life after killing him.

“Open your mouth!” With a handful of cake, the guard was ready to feed him whenever he opened his mouth.

Slaine remained still.  He locked his sight to the guard, yet he did not open his mouth. To avoid the food from entering his mouth, he would advance only when necessary.  Currently, he was resolved to wait for the guard’s incoming move.

As expected, the guard forced him to eat by continuously shoving his hand with the chunk of cake, despite his lips remained closed.  He slightly tilted his head to his right or left, attempting to avoid the food to make contact with his mouth. He could feel the frost and some chopped nuts were all over his face, near his mouth. Fearing some of them would enter his eyes, Slaine squinted a little, while making sure to predict the angle of the guard’s next strike. Luckily for Slaine, the guard’s hands were full.  The guard needed one hand to hold his wrists, while the other was required to feed him. Another force was necessary for the guard to ensure his head to remain still and open his mouth.

Without warning, the guard stopped. Annoyed with his unsuccessful attempt to make Slaine eat, the guard flung the lump of cake back to the plate. In a flash, Slaine could feel his cheek sore with his head swaying to the other side. He felt a stinging pain at his lower lip. The guard had backhanded him using the very hand he tried to feed him earlier.

Swiftly, the guard grabbed Slaine’s jaw and shouted at Slaine's face, “Fine! If you want me to feed you the hard way, I will!" He bent his body downward and Slaine could feel his breath tickled Slaine's nose.  He did not neglect to spare Slaine his menacing looks.

 

*****

 

Right after they arrived at the detention facility, Inaho hurried to get out of the car and rushed into the building. He could barely hear his sister ask to wait for her, but he decided to ignore it.

A howl echoed from one nook of the facility the instant Inaho walked in. He knew he was suppose to hurry, but the voice he just heard froze his body. The voice clearly belonged to Troyard.  He sounded like was in excruciating pain and someone was definitely restraining him from continuing to scream, because the cry was followed by y muffled sounds.

"Is that...?" Yuki seemed to be hesitant with her words. She was already standing next to him.  Inaho believed, his sister also heard Troyard’s outcry.

"Yuki-nee, I need your help. Go to the medical room on your left and get the first aid kit.  Then, just proceed straight from here and meet me there!” Inaho abandoned his sister again.n. In this circumstance, he needed to fully trust Yuki to find her way in the building.

Inaho ran across the long hallway. He ran the fastest he could. Yet he felt like it was taking forever to reach Slaine's room. He had not heard Slaine's voice since the first scream he heard.  Somehow, the closer he got, the more worried he became. The current situation he was in now was exactly like his dream. Only his footsteps resounded down the long corridor.

Another several steps, Inaho reached Slaine's room. Just like his nightmare, the door to Slaine's room was swung open.  Inaho paused for a moment. He could feel and hear his heart pounding faster. However, halting his movement now would do nothing. The muffled sound escaped from the room caused him to disregard all the images from his dream by running forward.

The guard was pouring water from a glass to Slaine mouth.  From the scene happening before him, the guard definitely intended for Slaine to swallow whatever that remained in his mouth, down his throat. The guard was holding Slaine's lower jaw, forcing Slaine to keep his mouth open. Slaine was squirming under the guard.  Both of his arms were quivering and looked to be stuck at one side. The guard was stepping on his palm, using his front shoe like it was nothing. Both of them were undoubtedly unaware of his presence.

“What are you doing?” Inaho yelled to alarm the guard.

“S-Sir?” The guard jumped upon hearing Inaho’s sudden question. He was caught off guard.

Slaine immediately sat up, although not without difficulties since both his wrists were chained. He spat everything out of his mouth next.  The guard managed to lay the glass back on the table, but leaving a plate with unidentified food on the floor. He assumed it was a cake after a closer look.

“Answer my question!” Inaho demanded.

“H-he didn't want to eat. So I-" The guard's reply was cut off by Inaho.

“I don't remember ever commanding anyone to chain him to be fed! You-” Inaho was forced to stopped talking when he heard the sounds of retching.

At first Slaine only tried to remove all things remain in his mouth, but then, he was starting to spew more. Jumping into conclusion that he might need help, Inaho ran towards him. When Inaho started to caress Slaine's back, Inaho noted he was hot to touch even with his shirt. Slaine then forced himself to vomit by inserting his index and middle fingers into his mouth, much to Inaho’s surprise Slaine spewed more until there was nothing left for him to let out.

Something was wrong and Inaho knew that. But, seeing Slaine panting with his thin body frame urged him to give Slaine full attention first. “Are you alright?” Inaho asked Slaine while turning his back to the guard. Slaine nodded as an answer to his query. He wiped his face that was stained with the cake's frost, using his backhand. Aware it was a difficult task to wipe the stains with the chained wrists, Inaho drew a gun. Without sparing his time to ask the guard for the key, Inaho aimed his gun to Slaine's handcuff.

Slaine lifted his head up before he rolled his eyes to the guard. In no time, he pulled Inaho's arm, forcing Inaho to fall on his side. Inaho’s ears registered a crashing sound only inches away from Slaine’s back. He assumed the crashing sound came from a wooden chair being smashed onto the floor. As Inaho was getting up, he confirmed assumption. The guard was aiming the wooden chair to hit his back previously, but Slaine prevented it from happening.

Inaho tried to stay calm and seem oblivious at first as he did want to provoke the guard further. He knew the guard was dangerous, and he did not want unnecessary fights and risks.  So, he decided to pretend as if he knew nothing when he first arrived. But he was mistaken. He should not turn his back to the guard while helping Slaine. He turned around and aimed his gun to the guard, “Don’t m-”

Before Inaho managed to finish his command, his arm was beaten severely by the guard with a chair leg that remained in the guard’s grip. Inaho’s arm felt numb upon the impact. He was compelled to let go of his gun. He hissed and held his arm at the point where it was hurt. All at once, the guard was giving him a sidekick, aiming for his chin.  Thinking that he could no longer block the attack with an injured hand, Inaho quickly stepped back, removing himself from the guard's line of attack. However, his face was not the guard’s target from the beginning. It was the gun that was thrown earlier.

Inaho deduced Slaine could also read what the guard was targeting.  After a feint by the guard, Inaho spotted Slaine was trying to acquire the gun as soon as the guard was rushing for it.  To decrease the probabilities for the guard to grab the gun before Slaine, Inaho lowered his body and tripped the guard. Inaho’s effort paid off.  The guard tripped, allowed Slaine to seize the gun before him.  Inaho was a bit relieved by the fact that Slaine could still move his body around even when he was obviously feverish.

Yet, Inaho was not be satisfied with the outcome thus far. The gun was in Slaine’s hands. Slaine was pointing the gun at the guard. Inaho felt the pain in his arm worsen when he utilized it as leverage to trip the guard earlier.  Although, he was a bit disturbed that his aim would not precisely hit the target due to his current condition, he was more concerned with the possibility of Slaine shooting the guard, even it was in self defense. “Don’t kill him, Slaine Troyard!” It was the only warning which could break loose from his mouth. But Slaine still locked his gaze onto the guard. The way Slaine was now, reminded Inaho the last time they met in Russia, when the other pointed a gun to him, before he lost an eye.

All of them remained still until the guard finally said something. “You’re not going to shoot me…” The guard smirked.

“Don't test me!” Slaine was adjusting his aim, looking as if he was ready to fire anytime.

“Slaine, don’t!” Inaho tried to halt Slaine.

There was no safe spot to shoot someone and Inaho did not want Slaine to face the consequences of shooting the guard down.  If it must be exercised, Inaho must be the one to do it, not Slaine. Inaho was a bit relieved when Slaine quickly shifted a bit, as if he was changing his mind not to shoot, though the gun still directed to the guard.  Yet, he felt something amiss because in that brief moment, Slaine was focusing his eye to the entry of his cell.  Inaho changed his gaze to learn what Slaine was looking merely to discover his own sister was holding her gun ready to aim at someone.

"Yu-”The sound of a gunshot erupted in the room, halting Inaho from calling his sister.

A feeling of terror swelled within Inaho. Blood trickling down Slaine’s left arm confirmed Slaine was the one who was getting shot, not the guard. With both the guard and Inaho still settling on the floor and only Slaine was the only one standing with a firearm, his sister must have be mistakenly read the whole scenario.

“Yuki-nee, you’ve misunderstood things. Slaine was trying to save me!” Inaho explained in short as he immediately got onto his feet and dashed towards Slaine.

Slaine stepped back as he was staggering, clearly in pain.  Immediately, Inaho inspected Slaine’s wound and almost ignored the guard who was still sitting on the floor.  He was uncertain if he should be pleased to find out Slaine’s arm was only grazed by the bullet.  Inaho recalled Slaine probably tried to dodge the bullet, when he shifted earlier as he realized someone was aiming for him. Unlike movies, a direct gunshot to the upper arm, especially left part, could be fatal.  If not fatal, it could cause permanent mobility loss, provided if no surgery was done or the surgery was a failure.

“But why-” Yuki questioned as the gun that dropped from Slaine’s grip not long after he held his left arm with his other hand.

Inaho was busy putting some pressure on Slaine's arm before he noticed the guard hurried for the gun.  Inaho wanted to kick the gun outside of the room without losing his grip over Slaine's arm, so it would reach her sister, but Slaine managed to kick it first.

“Take that away, or he will kill  us all,” Slaine yelled.

“Yuki-nee, take that and run! Quick!” Inaho instructed his sister as he caught sight of the guard drawing a folding knife while turning around to face his sister. The guard appeared to be confident enough to attack his sister even though she was armed with a gun.

Yuki was evidently confused by their advice.  “Nao-,” before Yuki was able to talked further, the guard was already leaping to his feet and running towards her.

There was nothing she could do except for creating some distance between her and the guard, who was preparing for his attack. Inaho believed his sister would aim for the guard’s legs because she could not aim higher without accidentally shooting Slaine and Inaho. Nevertheless, none of the bullets hit the guard. He avoided them well as he could predict all of the bullets’ trajectory as well as distracting Yuki to aim accurately with his blade.

Their situation became more dreadful, when Yuki’s gun only produced a clicking sound indicating she had already used up all the bullets. Considering how the guard moved, reloading the gun was not an option.  Inaho really wanted to race towards his sister, but could not. The gun that Slaine kicked out previously was already centimeters away from his feet. The worst was when the guard realized where the gun was. Inaho saw the guard returned his folding knife in his pocket and grinned.

Inaho was unsure if they were fortunate because Yuki managed to kick the gun out of the guard’s reach, and caused the guard to bring out his switchblade again, undoubtedly aiming for Yuki to prevent her from reloading her gun.

All of a sudden, a rapid click-clacking sound echoed throughout the long hallway. The guard paused as he was obviously contemplating on what to do next. He lowered his knife attempting to hide the fact of what he intended to do for the one who would arrive.  But he did not remove his focus from Yuki yet, and in turn prevented her from reloading her gun.

Inaho was hoping the other guard that was suppose to fill in the empty shift to show himself.  Assuming the guard did show up, they most probably had a better chance to deal with the guard.  Inaho was ready to attack the guard in front of his sister, even if his arm could not do a lot. Their probability would increase, especially if the guard brought along the usual submachine gun at his back. If their win was secured, he did not need to hold Slaine's arm for long. He could bandage him later.

However, his hope disappeared when a woman showed up from the long hall in the dim light. Slaine’s mother was weaponless. She was not even a soldier.  The only things that she had currently were two bags, presumably containing her cooking for her son.

"I heard noises, so I-" She started.

“Mom, run!” Slaine shouted at his mother to go away urgently to the point of interrupting her.  However, he was mistaken to think his mother would have run after she realized he was injured.  His mother stepped forward before anyone could stop her.

“Slaine, you’re-” She halted abruptly as she seemed to walk into something. It was Inaho’s gun that Yuki had hit with her heel earlier.

They were all too late to prevent this undesirable outcome. By the time they realized, the guard had already made his move; he was about to place a knife against someone’s throat.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you a lot to my beta, [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha) for your proofreading! ^_^ Sorry, it was really difficult to write Inaho's POV this time. ^_^;
> 
> I'm eager to read your next chapter of [The [Un]Caged Bird](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5024926?view_full_work=true#main).
> 
> Sorry for late update everyone. I really can't avoid this. Thank you for your patience!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** The distance between the guard and Slaine’s mother was too close for Inaho to interfere. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my beta, [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha), for the review and suggestions!

The distance between the guard and Slaine’s mother was too close for Inaho to interfere. He perceived Slaine also could do nothing from their distance. If Slaine’s mother was to become a hostage, the only option left for them was negotiations. It may come to a decision of whose life he was going to save first -- Slaine or his mother. Or worse, he might be unable to save both.  In the end, Inaho decided to run forward hoping he could do something to stop the guard.

The woman in front of him, however, seemed to grasp the guard’s intention. She dropped all her bags before removing herself from the line of attack. With some quick and decisive moves, including kicks to the groin, the guard was forced to lie down, facing the floor.  His hand was secured backwards, and his knife was thrown aside.

The knife attack would normally be nearly impossible to counter unless one had plenty knowledge of martial arts. Injuries were to be expected when dealing with the knife attacker.  The guard possibly was not really adept in handling the knife. Or, the guard was too affected by his emotions to make more sound decisions and in turn, ignored the fact Yuki had a gun while still aiming for her. He probably never expected Slaine’s mother to be knowledgeable in self-defense.

Inaho felt he had no time to be amazed by the woman's action. He ran ahead to assist her in restraining the guard’s movements. Since he had no handcuffs in his possession, he removed his necktie to tie the guard’s hand on his back while sitting on him. Yuki was fast to act this time.  She aided her brother to fasten the tie over the guard’s wrists. Copying Inaho, she also used her necktie to restrain the guard’s legs.  It was not an easy task for two since the guard was struggling to break loose, but they managed to complete it.

“Mom, are you alright?” Inaho heard Slaine ask his mother. Inaho recalled earlier, the moment Inaho stepped forward to restrict the guard, Slaine had ran towards his mother.

Without waiting for his mother's answer, Slaine inspected his mother’s forearms for injuries. Inaho noticed Slaine’s mother merely let her son do the ‘checkup.’ Yuki looked at Slaine as if she could not believe what was happening before her.  At the same time, Slaine’s mother also observed her son’s bruise on his cheek and wound on his limb.

“Slaine, I’m fine. You’re the one who is wounded,” his mother replied while releasing her arm from her son’s hold. She quickly took her handkerchief out and fastened it around Slaine's arm.

Slaine immediately hugged his mother, obviously relieved she was alright. “I’m sorry.  I’m sorry that I dragged you to my problems,” he muttered.

Slaine’s mother caressed her son’s back. “It’s not your fault. I'm just glad you're alive. We should treat your injuries first,” she assured Slaine.

Slaine slowly released his grasp over his mother and nodded.  He had failed to hold back his tears when he witnessed his mother was shedding her tears in front of him.  “I’m sorry I made you worry,” his voice sounded brittle when apologizing.

“Let me go!” The guard yelled under Inaho. He startled everyone around him.  Inaho tensed to find out the guard almost broke loose from the neckties that were binding him.

“I’m sorry for being…late,” came another voice not far from them. The guard who was supposed to fill in for the sick guard finally arrived. He was clearly disturbed to see the unusual scene before him. With Slaine outside of his room without restraints, and his mate tied and pinned under his superior, the guard could not help but ask`, “What happened?”

 

***

 

“Thank you. Please convey my thanks to the President for helping me convince the Admiral to go with my plan,” Inaho said as he gave his gratitude to Slaine’s mother who sat in the passenger seat at the back with Slaine.

Slaine was sleeping soundly on his mother’s shoulder.  He probably was too exhausted, considering what he had gone through for the whole day. He was lucky the nurse arrived not long after another guard.  He treated his injuries before the doctor came. The doctor who checked on Slaine later prescribed him with some medication including some painkillers. Inaho was advised to make an arrangement for Slaine to get a further check up since the facility he was in could not offer much. The same went for Inaho. The doctor doubted he had fractured his bone from how he could move his limb, but the doctor still gave him a splint to support his forearm.  To be safe, he planned to do a further examination the following day. It was almost midnight by then.

“All I want is the best for my son. And, I’m the one who should thank you. Thank you for saving my son’s life. You even injured yourself,” Slaine’s mother thanked Inaho as well. She looked back at her son and gently stroked her son’s hair. Her son remained undisturbed and sound asleep, unaffected by his mother’s touch.

“I fear I have done nothing. In fact, he was the one who saved mine. The Vice Admiral insisted for his location to be monitored. The bracelet around his foot was a tracking device. So, we could not send both of you to your apartment. I’m sorry, but you must stay with us for awhile.  I don’t want them to possess any knowledge about you,” Inaho explained.  He fastened his seatbelt, as his sister was ready to drive them back to their home.

“I don’t mind.  The most important thing is that Slaine is not staying at that place for another night. I’m most grateful that you’re willing to help us,” Slaine’s mother replied. After pausing for a moment, she continued, “I hope we’re not bothering you.”

“You’re not,” Yuki spoke before her brother. “We do have a guest bedroom for you to stay,” she resumed. Inaho noticed she had glanced into the rear-view mirror right after she finished her sentence.

“I’m sorry that I sh-”

“We are sorry we can't offer much,” Inaho cut off her sister when he suspected she was about to confess that she was the one who shot Slaine.

When Inaho was receiving his treatment, his sister admitted to him that she regretted shooting Slaine when he was attempting to defend her brother and himself.  But she also added, although Inaho told her that Slaine had tried to save Inaho, she could never forgive Slaine for shooting her only brother. Nonetheless, she felt worse after she knew a shot to the upper arm could kill him although her intention was not to kill. Inaho told her to keep it a secret first.  He was certain if his sister told Slaine's mother about it, she might also tell her who made him lose an eye. Slaine's mother was not at fault. Neither was his sister.  He did not want both of them to feel awkward. All he could do was convince his sister, she was not wrong. But apparently he had failed as his sister almost revealed what she had done.

“Nevermind, we have asked more than we should,” Slaine's mother responded. After a few minutes of silence, she inquired, “What would happen to that man?”

Inaho sighed before answering her question, “We can't do anything to him until we confirm his motive was to kill.  No recording was available to indicate what had actually happened back then.  They did some sample tests on the food he had forced Slaine to eat, but the results were entirely negative.  I had asked them to perform another assessment, but the results might require some time.”

“I see…,” She trailed off. From her tone, Inaho believed she was upset with the outcome.  The warden was clearly attempting to harm her child.

“I’m sorry. They urged to postpone the interrogation.  It was rather late. They will come to our house tomorrow to collect our statements.  Your son also needs some rest.” Inaho tried to relieve her mind.

“No need to say sorry. I know you’re doing your best,” she said.

 

***

 

“Slaine, are you awake?” Slaine heard someone ask him right after he opened his eyes. He searched for the voice and found his mother was sitting on the chair next to his bed.

Without answering his mother, Slaine looked around to check his surroundings. He believed he was not at the prison, but he was uncertain where he was. He only could tell he was in someone's bedroom. He had awakened in a semi dark room. A long gray curtain devoid most of the light from entering the room.  From the cleft between the curtains, he could recount it was daylight. The wall was painted with a light lemon color. Next to his bed was a long dark brown couch. There were two pillows and a neatly folded blanket on it.

“Where am I?” Slaine whispered.

“We’re at the Kaizuka residence. You don’t remember anything?” His mother asked after she answered his query.

Slaine was trying to recollect what exactly happened last night. After he climbed into Inaho’s car, he vaguely remembered arriving at some place and leaning heavily on his mother to walk.  He slowly shook his head and mumbled, “I’m not sure.”

His throat felt dry and scratchy. A jug of water positioned on top of the nightstand suddenly looked inviting.  A damp towel which was placed on his forehead fell down onto the bed as he tried to sit. His effort was stopped by sudden pain that spread throughout his body. He could sense parts of his body were aching, but not as badly as his stomach, where he was punched, and his arm where he was shot. His mother quickly assisted him to sit after he let out a hiss. She placed a pillow on his back for him to lean on and handed him a glass of water for him to drink. When he was passing the glass back to his mother, he realized he was no longer wearing his blue prison shirt. He had no recollection of changing it before he went to sleep.

“Are you okay, Slaine?” His mother asked once more.

Slaine was startled upon hearing her question. His mother probably noticed he had become lost in thought. He only nodded as an answer. After debating for some time, he asked her, “Who changed my shirt?”

“I did,” his mother claimed.

Slaine felt his blood was leaving his face after he heard his mother's claim.  He felt a sudden impulse to inquire if she saw what he did not want her to see.  But he was afraid to hear her response either.

His mother let out a long sigh.  “I have already seen your scars during your stay at the hospital,” she resumed.

Slaine could only clutch the blanket upon hearing his mother’s statement. His mother knew what was playing in his mind.

“The scars... who gave them?” A shocking inquiry slipped out of his mother’s lips.

Uncertain how to answer, Slaine could only stay silent. He changed his gaze to the blanket that was covering him.

“Your Dad?” His mother let out her assumption.

“NO! Dad never hurted me!” Slaine quickly lifted his head up and denied right away. He wondered if his mother detested his father to that extent.

“Then who? Who gave them to you?” With misty eyes, his mother questioned him again. She was exasperated to seek for an answer.

“A Martian who took me in, not long after Dad’s funeral,” Slaine believed he could be a little specific. He did not want his mother to hate any random Martians.  “He’s already dead... He died in the war,” Slaine added, hoping his mother would never discover the person responsible.

“Why? Why did he do that?”

“I made mistakes and got punished. That’s all.  C-Could we not speak about this?  I-I d-don’t want to remember...” Slaine stated while looking down at the blanket.  He did not dare to meet his mother in the eyes.

He did not think he was completely lying. He had made the wrong moves. He had been distrustful toward both Count Cruhteo and Inaho. _“If I did not shoot the orange kataphrakt first, would Kaizuka Inaho have shot me down?  Would I have been arrested by Count Cruhteo, back then?”_ The more he recalled, the more he wanted to forget.

Even without looking at his mother, Slaine could still feel his mother stare down at him.  After a long pause, she asked him again, “Fine. Did your Dad take a good care of you?”

Slaine heart sank; the answer was definitely ‘Not really.’  He started to wonder if his life was hard for him as he found every question that his mother asked really difficult for him to answer. Still, he nodded without looking at his mother.

Slaine could hear his mother exhale before saying, “You could lie to the whole world but not to me.”

Slaine snapped his head to hear his mother’s statement. The tears were streaming down his mother’s cheeks. He could only bite his lower lip as he was clutching his pendant while looking away.  Although he was upset to let his mother know he was not being truthful, he had no excuse to offer.  Those words could not escape from his mouth.

“You never change… You tend to conceal the truth whenever you believe it will hurt other people,” his mother stated.  Slaine was unsure how to take her comment, but he believed he should not take it as a compliment.

Slaine lifted his head to stare at his mother back. “Mom, I’m sorry for not being honest with you,” he said.  He took a deep breath before explaining, “Mom, I knew Dad was clumsy, but he still carried out his responsibilities as a father.  Even when he was immersed in his research, it’s not like he totally abandoned me. He still protected me!”

At long last, his mother stopped questioning him. She merely took both of his hands and held them firmly, “I’m sorry for leaving you,” she whispered.

 

***

 

As soon as Slaine’s mother entered the kitchen, she offered to help Yuki with preparing breakfast. This morning, Yuki had gotten up earlier than Inaho. Inaho was fully aware his sister wanted him to not cook today. Not to mention, they also had guests over. Yuki felt a bit overwhelmed in the kitchen since she had to serve for more. Thanks to Slaine’s mother, while Yuki was cooking, she made the drinks, toasted the bread and made the table in a short time.

Yuki kept apologizing because Slaine’s mother had been coerced to help her.  She admitted her culinary skills were not as good as her younger brother and she always left the task to him.  Slaine's mother simply said those kinds of skills needed a great deal of practice.  She also revealed that her skills were even worse than Yuki when she first got married.  Inaho could only smile as he heard them chatter.

“Do you have strawberry jam, by chance?” Slaine’s mother asked after she finished putting two toasts on a small plate in a tray.

“Here, Ms.,” Inaho answered while passing her the jar.

Inaho never called Slaine’s mother by her family name. Inaho was sure she definitely despised being called Mrs. Troyard, from how she narrated her marriage.  She had multiple identities to prevent herself from being traced by her family as well.  When she met the president who was also her older brother, she pleaded for Slaine to be spared from severe punishment of leading the war.  She had no idea the Empress of Mars also wished for the same matter. Inaho only knew later, that the President required her to return to her family as the first condition to save her son.

Slaine’s mother took the jar with a smile before saying, “Thanks. He said he would like to have a jam sandwich. He told me that sometimes he was craving to eat them while he was away from Earth.” The tears stung her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away.  She brought the breakfast to her son’s room soon after she finished making the sandwich.

Half an hour later, she returned to the kitchen. Slaine did not finish his breakfast. That was what Inaho saw from the tray that Slaine’s mother brought out of his room. He only ate half of the sandwich. He also left half a cup of ginger tea, which was prepared to soothe his cold.

 

***

 

“How are you feeling?” Inaho entered the room and immediately asked Slaine.

Slaine not only jumped from Inaho’s sudden question but also because Inaho did not knock first. Slaine looked at the other as Inaho neared his bed and sat on the chair next to it.

“I feel fine,” Slaine eventually answered.

“Really? You're not lying, are you?” Inaho asked again. But his expression never showed that he did care.

Slaine sighed, before saying, “What makes you think I’m lying?”

“Your temperature suddenly rose up. You moaned, you groaned and you mumbled in your sleep like you were in extreme pain. Your mother panicked and woke us around four,” Inaho explained.

Slaine tried to think back, but his effort was to no avail. “Sorry about that.  I don’t remember,” he answered after thinking for some time. He glanced at Inaho’s arm and decided to ask, “Does your arm still hurt?”

“A bit but the doctor said it was nothing serious,” Inaho answered. Without wasting his time, Inaho asked again, “You just had your breakfast now, right? Does your stomach hurt?”

“No,” Slaine honestly replied.

“How about your breathing? Does your chest hurt? Do you feel dizzy or lightheaded?” Another inquiry came from Inaho.

“No! You sound like a doctor!” Slaine commented, annoyed by Inaho’s countless questions.

“Please do tell me if you feel pain anywhere. I will call the doctor to come immediately,” Inaho instructed.

Slaine nodded. “Did you only come in to check on me?” Slaine finally decided to cut to the chase.

“No. UFE officers will come to take our statements. I wanted to make sure you’re alright before they started questioning you,” Inaho reasoned. Then, he resumed, “Your mother is only known to some of the personnel in the detention facility. I never told them her relation to you to be precise. And, I would like to ask you to avoid mentioning anything related to your mother when they take your statement.”

Slaine understood why he should hide his mother. As a matter of fact, he actually wanted to request to Inaho not involve his mother. Since Inaho himself demanded him not to tell anyone about her, he was glad that he did not need to ask for it.

“I will let you play the heroine,” Slaine simply stated. He doubted Inaho would be offended by it anyway.

“What?” Inaho seemed clueless.

Slaine tried to explain a bit, “We can’t mention anything about my mother, so you need to take her part of taking the guard down, am I right?”

Inaho narrowed his eyes.  “As much as I hate to take the credit, it seems we do not have an option.  You’re correct,” Inaho gave his response after spent some time thinking.

“You deserve it. I doubt my mother could have held him for long. Thank you for helping her,” Slaine honestly admitted. He was truly grateful that Inaho came to his prison before the guard could end his life. At least, the guard’s plan to drag his mother along with his crime could not proceed as he intended.

Inaho only stared at him. Then, he shook his head next.  “I’m the one who should be thankful. You saved me from being hit, remember?” Inaho reminded Slaine.

“You saved me first,” Slaine could not help but try to remind the other in return. “We agreed we will say nothing about my mother, but how about your sister and the personnel in the facility?” Slaine asked, concerned about anyone who discovered his mother’s presence yesterday.

“I already took care of it,” Inaho answered almost immediately.

Alright, now everyone agreed to conceal his mother's existence, but he was worried about the guard who wanted to kill him.  Hence he asked again, “What if he mentioned my mother in the interrogation?”

“I doubt he would do exactly that. He would dig his own grave.  He must hide the fact that he was about to take your mother as a hostage,” Inaho expressed his views.

Slaine really hoped the guard would not drag his mother during his interrogation. Slaine believed the guard and the nurse who arrived later would follow Inaho’s instructions. Thinking about both of the personnel reminded Slaine that he needed to ask Inaho something. He concluded now was the perfect time. “This might be entirely unrelated about what we are discussing, but, I meant to ask you. How did Ichi-san know I proposed the plan to take all the blame?” Slaine inquired.

“It’s not entirely unrelated. I told all of the staff in the safe house about it. I wanted to avoid you from being hurt or attempted murder like yesterday. But, apparently that did not work. I even ensured they had no family members killed in the war,” Inaho calmly told him as he was stroking his chin while setting his gaze to the tiles, obviously thinking.

“I see… He said his son was killed in the war,” Slaine informed Inaho.

Inaho quickly lifted his head up and knitted his brows.  “Mind telling me what exactly happened before I arrive?”  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if I disappointing any of you about how the conflict resolve. Not really solved actually.
> 
> The reason why ended the chapter at that point last time was because, I wanted to rethink back how I should write this chapter. Though, Slaine's mom took the guard down was in the initial plan. I also wanted Slaine to have some more time to spend with his mother. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! ^_^


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** Yuki was the one getting the door when the doorbell rang. The UFE officers had arrived earlier than their promised time. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you very much to my beta, [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha) for spending times to proofread this.
> 
> I'm sorry for not updating new chapter for so long. Some issues happened and it forced me to work on more things than I should. I'm too tired to write, but when I finally found some time, I did not know where to start. ~~Probably because I did not end it with a cliffhanger last time. lol.~~ Sorry, but I believed I should warn you not to put high expectation when reading this chapter.

Yuki was the one getting the door when the doorbell rang. The UFE officers had arrived earlier than their promised time. She welcomed them in and called for Inaho next. After Inaho greeted them and invited them to have a seat, her brother asked her to call Slaine down.

When she reached the top of the staircase, she discovered the door to the guest bedroom was opened.  She peeked into the room and watched Slaine's mother was about to apply a fresh bandage to her son’s wound.  She settled to wait for her to complete her task.

Yuki was worried if the gunshot wound she gave Slaine was too painful the moment his mother asked if he need medication.  She was uncertain if the other was lying when he answered he did not require it.

He looked extremely bad last night. Inaho said the effect of medication Slaine took previously was probably wearing off, hence his temperature rose up. Yuki still could remember, how his pale lips were mumbling gibberish words, tears pouring from his eyes and how uneven his breathing was in his sleep.

“Sorry to disturb you, but they had arrived to take your statement,” she said after she knocked the door to make the other noticed her presence.

Slaine nodded as if to tell her that he heard her words. Next he slowly removed the blanket when he was preparing to step down from his bed.  His mother helped him to stand when she witnessed her son was staggering right after he moved from his bed.

Yuki was a bit shaken up when she saw Slaine’s mother was about to walk her son out of the room.  Perhaps because she was concerned that her son could lose his balance anytime. But, Yuki did recall Inaho told her not to tell anyone about Slaine’s mother.  Luckily, Slaine stopped his mother right in time they were about a few steps to the doorway.

“Mom, you need to stay here. Kaizuka Inaho did tell you to hide, didn’t he?” Slaine asked his mother.

“Yes, he did, “his mother answered him before asking him back, “But can you walk by yourself, Slaine?”

“Yes, I can.  You should not worry too much Mom,” Slaine answered and drew out his arm from his mother’s hold.  

Right after he managed to make his mother release his arm, Yuki grabbed his other hand. “He was right. Ms, you should stay here until they go. I will help him,” She offered her assistance with a broad smile.

Yuki could feel Slaine was tensed to be held by her, but she needed to do it regardless to persuade his mother. Slaine, on the other hand, remained still and let her support him. He walked outside of the room, followed by her after his mother agreed with her suggestion.

However, after walking for a few steps before reaching the staircase, Slaine slowly moved his arm to be freed by her.  “I can walk by myself,” Slaine said.

And Yuki simply complied with his request. The fact, that he did not lean on her when walking, showed he was able to walk by himself. Yet, she still warned him, “OK, but please be careful!” She still retained a close distance between them. Of course, he would feel uncomfortable to be held by her. After all, she injured him twice.

To her worry, Slaine’s legs did crumble when he was walking down the stairs. Quickly, Yuki slipped her arm at Slaine’s back and snatched his uninjured arm with the other hand. She was relieved, that she managed to catch Slaine from falling down. However, she could not shake off the feeling of being concerned with the boy’s physical state.  He was thinner and lighter than her brother was, even though their age gap was not a lot different. His complexion also turned pale.

“Are you alright?” Yuki could not refrain herself from asking.  She heard no answer heard from Slaine which prompted her to continue, “I guess we should tell them to come again tomorrow.”

“No!” Slaine instantly snapped at her, but he turned his head away afterward. “I-I’m sorry,” he muttered. Yuki could tell Slaine was feeling guilty for raising his voice at her earlier. However, his voice was not that high. She doubted that the other people in her home could hear his voice when he increased it.

After a long pause, Slaine continued, “I prefer not to be a hindrance for them to solve this case as soon as possible. He tried to kill my mother, only to kill me. I can’t let him go!  He also attempted to kill Inaho-” He stopped abruptly after he mentioned her brother’s name. Then, Slaine widened his eyes and looked at her back, before he directed his gaze to the stairs.  As he was straining to remove Yuki’s hand from his waist, he resumed, “I-I guess the same applies to me. I-”

“I don't think I can have you walk by yourself. My brother will be held responsible if anything happened to you,” Yuki cut Slaine off and tightened her grasp around his waist. “Regarding Nao-kun, we will talk later,” she added. Yuki really wanted to give him a scolding for almost having her lose her dear brother. She wanted to ask him why he shot him.  But, she concluded she could wait for it. Furthermore, she also owed him an apology for shooting him.

Yuki proceeded to bring Slaine to her brother.  As she anticipated, her brother was obviously concerned about Slaine’s state.  “Are you feeling ill?” Her brother asked Slaine.

Before Slaine managed to answer her brother, Yuki was determined to tell her brother, “He almost fell down from the stairs.”

“I’m fine!” Slaine quickly attempted to tell her brother that he was alright.

Inaho knitted his brows upon hearing their replies.  However, his next action was unexpected. Yuki thought he would go to postpone the interrogation since Slaine’s answer was not convincing. But, instead, he turned around and talked to the officers in front of him. “You heard her. He's feeling unwell. I’m sorry, but I could not comply with your request to leave him alone with you. I will sit over there.” Inaho said while pointing his finger to the dining table in the kitchen.  “I doubt I could pick up your conversations from there, and I will be here if he needs help.  After what took place yesterday, I cannot leave him unobserved,” he further elaborated.

 

***

 

Yuki decided to serve the guests with some snacks. Her turn for questioning was now over. She only managed to serve them tea, since she was feeling nervous earlier because Inaho asked her to hide facts about Slaine’s mother. Yuki only knew yesterday that she was connected to the President.  Yuki expected the questioning session would be wearing, but it was not. The officers seemed not to clarify her statements much.  They only required her to tell the full story about what had happened when she was present in the detention facility. They even did not bring forward, how she knew Slaine was held in that facility.

As she was preparing the plate, she sometimes stole a glance at Slaine, who was sitting at the dining table. It was the same seat Inaho had been sitting earlier when Inaho watched how the officers were collecting information from him. Slaine was the first one to be questioned. Next, it was her and now it was Inaho’s. At the moment, Slaine watched Inaho sat on the couch facing the officers in the living hall.

“Slaine-kun, do you want to eat anything?” She asked.

Her voice must have startled him. That is what Yuki thought when she noticed Slaine suddenly shrugged his shoulder. Yuki assumed, he was busy trying to guess an unclear conversation between the UFE officers and Inaho when she was calling him. Slaine turned his head to look at her with wide eyes. He looked rather anxious.

“Can I call you by your first name? Oh, you could call me Yuki!  Sorry for not introducing myself sooner,” Yuki tried to sound friendly. Considering how they first met, he probably was still uncomfortable if she did not take an initial move. Not to mention how hostile she was towards him, yesterday

Slaine only nodded, probably unsure how to respond to her. Of course, he did not need to introduce himself like she did.

“So Slaine-kun, would you like to eat some biscuits?” Yuki tried to offer him some snacks she would like to give to the guests. Inaho already prepared some sandwiches for him to eat for lunch after the officers took the statements from him, but he did not finish them all. Yuki hoped he would eat more if he was offered other things.

This time, Slaine simply shook his head.

Noticing Slaine did not once answer her verbally, she inquired, “You aren’t talking much. Did you have a sore throat?” She only guessed since he did suffer from a fever last night.

Again, Slaine shook his head. “No,” he said. After pausing for a few moments, he continued, “I-I’m sorry. Is there anything I can assist you with?”

Hearing his answer made Yuki came into a conclusion that Slaine possibly was thinking he was a bother to both her brother and her. But she could not permit it. “No! You’re wounded. You should restrict your movement,” she refused him. “Here, you should eat more to gain strength,” she brushed off his answer not to eat earlier and shoved him a plate of cookies.

Slaine stared at the served cookies in front of him. After a few moments, he looked at her to meet her eyes. Yuki realized, he wanted to say something, but she could not wait for him. “I… I’m sorry that I shot you, yesterday,” she apologized for her action a day before.

“Please... Don't say sorry. I’m at fault too. I was holding the gun.  Anyone could misunderstand things in that sort of situation,” he replied.

Yuki believed she almost smile when she heard Slaine’s reply.  As much as she detested him, she could not bring herself to treat him badly. He was so considerate and polite. If the young man in front of her never shot her brother, she would be pleased to welcome him as a younger brother. Inaho asked her to treat Slaine as one last night.  She could still ignore his status as a former war commander. However, his statement next made her unable to control her temper.

Slaine leaned backward, tilted his head upwards and said, “Maybe, I should not have moved... to be killed by your bullet....  I’d no longer be a burden if I’m dead.” His wish to die escaped from his lips.

Yuki immediately slapped him on the face, but nearly regretted later. The bruise on his right cheek had not yet heal, yet she inflicted another pain on his other cheek. The place where she hit turned red. Slaine only touched his cheek with his palm as he looked away.

“Don’t joke about that. Please think about the people that you’ll leave behind!” She said sternly. Yuki deemed it was necessary to remind him, that his mother would not be pleased if she knew about it. She knew better the feeling of losing someone in a family.  Even if she wished for the young man before her to be dead, his mother would be upset, especially when she repeatedly emphasized that she should be blamed for her son’s wrongdoing.

 

***

 

Inaho saw the moment Yuki hit Slaine’s face with her palm. He noticed Yuki was unquestionably angry with Slaine. He was feeling anxious if the officers in front of him were able to spot her action.  If they did, Slaine might need to be moved to some other detention facility, where it might be inaccessible even for him. They might say, Slaine was not ‘safe’ in his house.

To his relief, they did not. They were busy asking questions and recording his statements.  Indeed, there were some occasions, they turned their head and faced towards the dining table to see what Slaine was doing. However, they did not do when Slaine was slapped.  And, Inaho pretended he did not see it as to not alert the officers in front of him.

His sister did say something afterward, but he could not capture what she was saying.  She apparently tried to moderate her voice to not be heard by the officers. Yuki did not talk with Slaine anymore after that.  She returned to the kitchen before taking out some snacks to serve their guests. Then, she went back to the kitchen in such a way that she could avoid talking to Slaine.

Once the officers left an hour later, Inaho would like to send Slaine back to his room. But, he decided to change his mind because it would dangerous for Slaine to climb up the stairs by himself. Neither could he help him, nor could he ask for his sister’s help after what happened.

“Would you like to watch TV?” Inaho asked Slaine once he concluded he would like to talk with his sister, without Slaine’s presence.  Without looking at him, Slaine only shook his head in disagreement with his proposition.

Inaho assumed Slaine did not want to move from his place, seeing the other still looking for the food served before him with unfocused eyes. “Ok, but let’s move to the living room. You will be more comfortable sitting there.  You could take a nap too,” Inaho continued, attempting to change Slaine’s mind. Slaine sighed, but he did stand and got ready to walk to the designated place.

“Please have a seat,” Inaho instructed Slaine once they entered the living room. Slaine sat on the long couch, the farthest seat from Inaho. Inaho decided to turn on the television anyway.  “Make yourself at home,” Inaho said and placed the remote control down on the coffee table, ready to leave Slaine alone.

“I don’t have a home,” Slaine stated. His comment made Inaho halted his steps and turned around to face Slaine. But, Slaine did not look at him. His focus apparently fell to the flipped newspaper on the coffee table.

Inaho could not stop himself from correcting him, “You’ll have one, with your mother.”

“I will not.  If ‘he’ is going to be freed, he will hunt me down. He might kill my mother too. You should have let me die last year,” Slaine promptly denied. This time, he looked Inaho in the eyes.

“Is that why she hit you earlier? Because you said to her you prefer to die?” Inaho tried to confirm. Now, he got a hunch the reason Yuki was angry with Slaine.

“Maybe…” Slaine answered and averted his gaze.

It would be a problem to him if Slaine reverted to being depressed. “He’ll be penalized. Your mother will not be in danger,” Inaho affirmed.

After keeping himself silent for a few moments, Slaine finally inquired, “Can I hold you to your word?”

“I never once failed to keep my promises,” Inaho simply stated.

Slaine only sighed. But he did not ask him anything, then. He sat silently while watching the television.

Inaho changed his mind about going to the kitchen.  Instead, he sat down on a single couch and swiped his tablet to obtain any new updates about the investigation. Based on what Slaine had told him about the taste of the cake, which the guard had forced him to eat, Inaho could predict what kind of poison he used. He previously asked the investigation team involved to look into it. Now he was waiting for their update.

He made up his mind to join Slaine watching television. Earlier, Slaine was shown to be uninterested in watching the broadcast, but now, he seemed to like it. Inaho was not sure when, but at some point, he did fall asleep. He only realized it when Yuki woke him up.

“Nao-kun, dinner is ready,” She said as soon as he came to. Someone had covered him with a thin blanket.

Inaho nodded. He looked around to find Slaine was sleeping while lying down on his side.  He expected Slaine would have difficulty sleeping while they were sharing the same room. Inaho was starting to worry if Slaine was extremely tired, or unwell for him to fall asleep easily.

Yuki seemed to have caught onto what he was thinking when she placed her palm against Slaine’s forehead. Slaine brows slightly furrowed, but he did not wake up. “He’s fine,” she informed.

Then, his sister tried to wake Slaine up. She tapped his shoulder gently and Slaine woke up not long after that. He rubbed his eyes next and murmured, “Mom?”

However, Slaine immediately sat up, when he realized Yuki was beside him.

“Dinner's ready. You’re looking forward to eating your Mom’s cooking, right?” Yuki asked him.

Slaine nodded and replied, “Y-yes, thank you.”

“Did I frighten you? I’m sorry that I hit you. I couldn’t control my temper earlier,” Yuki apologized.

He swayed his head from side to side to his disagreement. “You had done no wrong. I’m the one who should say sorry for being ridiculous.” Slaine turned away before resuming, “Please... Don’t tell her about it.”

“I will not.  But promise me you won't speak like that anymore,” Yuki stressed her voice while giving the other her warning. “Come, let’s eat,” Yuki was quick to change her tone. She grabbed Slaine’s hand for him to stand and follow her to the kitchen.

 

***

 

“Inaho, put down your phone and eat!” Slaine heard Inaho’s sister urge her brother to eat properly. He seemed to be busy navigating through his tablet since he was sitting at the dinner table.

“Yuki-nee, I…,” Inaho trailed off and took a glance at Slaine. Without finishing his words, Inaho took the chopsticks next to his bowl and continued eating.

From how Inaho acted, Slaine assumed Inaho was trying to hide something from him. Slaine was wondering if Inaho was concealing the status of the investigation. He recalled the moments he was interrogated. The officer did ask him many questions that required a specific explanation.  But, some of the questions actually focused on his flaws when they repeated the same queries over and over again about he did hold the gun and pointed it to the guard. Slaine was starting to doubt the officer would be penalized. Moreover, how impossible for him to be charged with attempted murder if he wanted to kill someone who was already dead.

After his session ended, he was starting to fear if the guard would be released by some means and put his mother at risk again. Thinking about it, forced him to wish he had died earlier. Slaine looked at Inaho’s sister and remembered her words, _“Think about the people that I’ll leave behind, she said.” “It is because I’m thinking about her,”_ Slaine thought. But then, Inaho promised him, the worst would not happen. He truly wanted to believe in him.

“Slaine would you like seconds?” Someone’s dulcet tone distracted him from his deep thought. It belonged to his mother. She was holding a ladle, ready to add more stew into his bowl.

Slaine nodded and his mother poured the stew. “Thank you,” he said before he continued eating. It had been so long since he last ate with his mother. He felt that he was in an unbelievable situation, where he also shared the meal with Kaizuka Inaho and his family.

“Inaho-kun, would you like me to add more,” His mother had offered seconds to Kaizuka Inaho next. He noticed his mother called Inaho  with his first name. Slaine believed they had known each other for some time. Inaho presumably urged her to call him by his first name like his sister did.

“Later. I still have some,” he politely declined, but his sister quickly moved her bowl nearer to the pot.

“This is delicious. I would like to have more,” Inaho’s sister gave her a compliment.

Slaine’s mother poured the stew to Yuki’s bowl as she was smiling. “Thanks, please have it. You had plenty ingredients to prepare a tasty meal. Thanks for letting me borrow your kitchen and letting me use your groceries, “ she replied Inaho’s sister.

Witnessing the scene occur before him made him asked himself, _“Are we playing family now?”_  He was curious how his mother will act once she knew her son was  the one who caused Inaho to lose his eye. He would like to tell his mother, but he doubted he could tell her at this instant. He also wanted to tell Yuki that he was sorry for shooting her brother. But, everyone was enjoying their food, and he did not  want to ruin it. He could not lie to himself that he too, wanted this moment of respite.

 

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** Inaho was aware Slaine was annoyed with his action of stalking him to anywhere he went, but he could not let Slaine out of his sight. “I will stay here until your mother returns,” Inaho simply replied, ignoring Slaine’s dissatisfaction over his efforts to ensure he was always ‘safe.’ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot to my beta, [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha) for spending time fixing my mistakes and ideal rewording! ^_^

“Quit following me!” Slaine yelled at Inaho.

Inaho was aware Slaine was annoyed with his action of stalking him to anywhere he went, but he could not let Slaine out of his sight. “I will stay here until your mother returns,” Inaho simply replied, ignoring Slaine’s dissatisfaction over his efforts to ensure he was always ‘safe.’

Once Slaine hung the towel to dry after his bath, he walked to the bed and sat on it. “I can’t argue you over your rights to walk around anywhere in your own home, but it’s kind of tiring to have you following me around for 24 hours. And, I’m about to sleep,” Slaine said while covering his legs with a blanket. “I believe you can leave now,” he continued as he was adjusting himself to a more comfortable position while lying down on the mattress.

Inaho sat at the edge of the bed. He looked at his phone to figure out what the time was now. “It’s not 24 hours. 5 hours and 22 minutes to be precise. I’m taking over the warden’s job when you're staying here,” he decided to correct Slaine as well as stating his own reason.

“At least they're not accompanying me into the bathroom!” Slaine immediately sat up and snarled at Inaho.

“It’s because they could find out what you’re doing,” Inaho could not stop himself to remind Slaine about his bathroom structure in the safe house.  It was sort of amusing to witness Slaine’s face turn red as soon as he finished his line. “It’s not like I want to see what you’re doing. You know better, my eye is glued to my phone,” Inaho resumed while waving his phone in front of Slaine’s face. Inaho ensured it was locked beforehand, so Slaine could see nothing.  “Plus, I only wait outside of the bathroom,” he appended.

“That’s because I managed to distract you and locked the door quickly!” This time, Slaine made Inaho recall why he was forced to wait outside of the bathroom while Slaine was taking a bath. Inaho himself could not believe he could fall for an old trick, considering he was a strategist who could read his opponent's movement in previous battles. To distract him, Slaine did not point his finger somewhere to make him look in a certain direction. Instead, Slaine pretended he as was looking at something by saying, _“I can't believe your sister only wears  that after her bath while I’m staying here.”_ Imagining the worst, Inaho did turn his head, to where Slaine was looking to discover nothing. He only heard the door  slam, next.

“I truly could not believe you could fall for a such an obvious trick,” Slaine let out his thought.

Inaho felt a bit irritated when the other highlighted his mistake while he was fully aware of it. “Well, you put a convincing act.  Actually, I’m starting to believe if this was also a part of your act,” Inaho tried to make a comeback.  Truthfully even without Slaine's good acting, he would still turn his head, considering his sister can at times be senseless.

However, Slaine quickly replied, “Look Kaizuka Inaho, if I really wanted to commit suicide, I would not do it here. I know you would be held responsible if anything happened to me. Besides, my mother is here, and we have troubled you enough!” Slaine was sharp enough to comprehend what he tried to imply. “In addition, I used it without anyone's observation before.  When you fell asleep in the living room,” he went on.

“Wait, Yuki did not stick around until you finished?” The moment Inaho finished his line, Slaine’s cheeks turned red once again. Inaho was wondering what he was thinking and wanted to ask that question. It was unacceptable for his sister to follow Slaine into the bathroom to begin with.

“No, she merely gave me directions where I should go when I asked her,” Slaine finally answered. He was quick to recover from an awkward moment.

“Sorry, I’m considering another possibility that you might suddenly lose your balance and injure yourself,” Inaho concluded to inform Slaine his other reason for his action of trailing him.

And from Slaine’s expression, Inaho could tell Slaine seemed to buy his logic.  “I’m all right now. But, look at you! You’re way worse than me,” Slaine advised him next.

Only by now that Inaho realized Slaine was changing the current of their conversations soon after he mentioned about suicide, and he had been caught up in the ongoing flow. “Wait, so in other words, you would try to commit suicide whenever you had a chance after we send you back to the safe house?”

“When you’re supposed to return me there?” Without answering him, Slaine countered his question with another question.

Tomorrow, 9-," the answer quickly slipped from his mouth before he halted abruptly.

Slaine only crossed his arm, before deducing, “They asked you to return me.  They probably saw the moment I was hit by your sister, so they decided to move me away.  I guess they still care about my safety. Though, your sister is not wrong.”

“Yes, you’re probably right,” Inaho murmured.  He was glad Slaine concluded it in that direction. He hoped no other question would come next.  “About my question earlier…” He was trailing off, contemplating if he should finish his sentence.

“Even if I genuinely wanted to do it, I will not. I don't want your sister to slap me once more,” Slaine gave a mocking smile right after he replied. “Does my mother know I need to be taken back to the prison, tomorrow?” Slaine asked again.

“I've not told her thus far.  I plan to delay your return,” Inaho believed he should answer honestly for that particular query.

Another question slipped from Slaine’s mouth, “How?”

Inaho was forced to keep his mouth shut, attempting to figure out how he should answer Slaine. “I’m still thinking,” Inaho finally replied, hoping Slaine could accept it.

“How about the investigation?” Slaine gave him a simple inquiry, yet Inaho felt Slaine was giving him a hard time to answer it.

“Sorry, you’re not permitted to know. It’s confidential,” Inaho avoided answering his question.

“I see…,” Slaine mumbled while putting his head back to the pillows. Then, he spoke again, “I am starting to think that the one who is standing before me is not the Kaizuka Inaho that I always knew...”

“We are even now, I never knew you…,”  Inaho said. Somehow, he felt his answers were becoming weirder with each exchange.  

“What I mean is, you look terrible. It's not like you to suddenly have a slip of the tongue. Can you leave and get some rest now?  See, my mother is coming,” Slaine concluded their conversation as he was pointing towards the doorway. Inaho saw Slaine’s mother entering the room in a nightgown lent by his sister.

“Yes, you’re correct.  Good night," Inaho wished soon after he got up.

“Thank you for looking after him, when I was not around,” Slaine's mother said, giving her gratitude. Inaho knew she had meant it, but taking into account the conversation that took place with Slaine earlier, he felt she was teasing him.

Inaho nodded before saying, “It’s my job.” He wanted to go to his bed, but there were many things that still needed to be done.

“You should go to bed soon. You're looking pale. Are you alright?” The woman in front of him suddenly happened to query him. It was expected for her to ask him that question since his headache was becoming worse.  Since he got the latest update about the investigation during dinner, he spent his time thinking about how the higher-ups had reached a conclusion about the guard’s attempt. Not to mention, he did not get enough sleep last night.

Inaho was confident he had checked Officer Okuto’s background before getting him to the safe house. He had no child that died in the war. From how Slaine explained his threat, the officer seemed to genuinely hate Slaine. But he was not the one who was doing the interrogation. Thinking back, the plan to kill Slaine was enough to be arranged alone, but he could not deny the possibility of the guard’s plan was aided by others. Finding the correct staff to be assigned to the safe house was not easy.

Eventually, the officer would not be charged for attempted murder. A dangerous substance was detected in the cake he had offered to Slaine; it was hidden in the fruits' seeds and nuts. However in such small quantities, the substance would not be fatal and thus, the higher-ups decided to see his action as carelessness in preparing it.

Since the guard did try to injure Inaho, he would be suspended.  The higher-ups promised to assign a new guard and Inaho would be granted the privilege to conduct an interview and personally choose who would be the most suitable person to replace the suspended officer.  However, they demanded Slaine to be brought back to the detention facility by tomorrow morning. Their reason was, Slaine was dangerous and they did not want to take any risk of keeping him outside the facility for a longer period.

If he was not mistaken, the date for the Empress to revisit the Aldnoah Reactor, which she first activated, was only around the corner. He was planning to tell her about the officer’s attempt to murder her dear friend. If she managed to intervene the investigation, she might able to change the UFE higher-ups mind to delay Slaine’s return to the safe house. She might be able to make them reinvestigate the case instead of closing it. But the plan seemed too good to be true.  Still, he bore no other choices, because he was reluctant to ask Slaine’s mother to get help from the President again. It was very risky for him and his family to intervene more than he already has. In the end, Inaho even could not make up his mind on how he could hold Slaine in his home rather than returning him to the prison when Slaine was asking about it.

 

*****

 

Slaine suspected Inaho tried to hide things from him but he attempted to stop himself from potentially starting an argument with Inaho. Nevertheless, by some means, he was having mixed feelings about returning to his little prison.  He doubted he would have any difficulties to sleep, though; he was given a comfy bed. Before his mother took a bath, he asked her to swap their sleeping arrangement. But, his mother insisted on sleeping on the couch, and she refused swapping with him.

Slaine tried to shut his eyes before he suddenly heard his mother shout out Inaho’s name.  He opened his eyes to find his mother was sitting on the wooden floor while straining to adjust Inaho to properly lay on her laps. His mother apparently tried to catch Inaho from falling down when he went limp.  Swiftly, Slaine jumped from his bed and hurried to his mother. His mother called for Inaho’s name repeatedly, but Inaho did not answer. She began to pat Inaho’s cheek, then. Still, Inaho did not respond.

Seeing Inaho’s blanched face, Slaine could not wait any longer.  “I will fetch his sister,” he said while running out of the room. He heard his mother calling his name, but he ignored her. The handcrafted bedroom sign saved him the hassle to search for the correct bedroom. Slaine knocked the door, again and again, hoping Inaho's sister had not yet gone to sleep. “Yuki-san, Yuki-san... Do you hear me? Are you inside?” He went on asking. Slaine was relieved when the door opened.

Even so, he was having a hard time on what to relay to her next. However, he decided to tell her, before she asked, “Inaho fainted in my room.” He could barely register Yuki’s face had turned pale before calling out her brother’s name. She almost bumped against him when she was rushing out to get her brother.

“Nao-kun, Nao…,” Inaho’s sister called his name. Her eyes began to get teary. Inaho was sweating and his eyes remained closed. Slaine was feeling uneasy when he realized Inaho was still holding his phone. He probably overexerted himself over the officer’s case. Yuki wiped her eyes before asking, “Can you help me move him onto his bed?”

“I will assist you,” Slaine quickly answered before his mother managed to say yes.

“But, Slaine your arm still-”

“It’s only a minor injury Mom.  My right hand is fine. We should move him faster,” Slaine cut off his mother. Then, he tried to make Inaho lean onto his right shoulder. Yuki helped him to support Inaho’s right. Together they tucked Inaho into his bed.

“Thank you for your help. I will call for a doctor to come,” Yuki said.  Next, she drew out her phone from her night robe’s pocket.

“We will stay in our room when the doctor is around,” His mother replied, attentive to the details that they both needed to hide. Though, her next action was unexpected. Slaine was startled when he felt someone was holding his arm, only to notice it was his mother's warm hand. “Slaine, come we should go,” she said with a concerned look.

Slaine only nodded. Like a child, his mother was holding his hand to lead him back to their bedroom. As they were leaving the room, Slaine turned his head back to see Inaho and his sister.  She was making the call and Inaho was still unconscious. He began to wonder if the conditions Inaho was in now was actually one of the side effects due to the gunshot Slaine had inflicted on Inaho during the war. After all, he had long thought it was a miracle for Inaho to survive that sort of injury.

 

*****

 

Inaho opened his eyes to find he was in his bedroom. The moment he noticed Dr.Yagarai was checking on him, he assumed something must have happened to him. It was not his first time to wake on his bed with the doctor beside him.

“Nao-kun, you’re awake!” Inaho heard his sister’s voice.

“Yuki-nee… you’re too loud,” Inaho could not stop himself from warning his sister for causing his head to pound right after he felt better.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.  “Sorry, I’m concerned about you,” she continued. Her hands held onto his hands.  He felt her grip tighten.  Inaho tried to sit up but was held back by both Dr. Yagarai and his sister.

“You better lie down,” Dr. Yagarai advised. “Your sister called me to come. How are you feeling now?” Yagarai questioned him next, as soon as he explained why he was in his room.

He knew that his sister was upset, but he decided to tell the truth, “Not so good...”

The doctor readjusted his spectacles. “You fainted because the lack of rest. It's a good sign that you're not having seizures. Your life is not at risk.  But, you should be aware the head trauma came with many complications,” he explained.

Inaho only nodded as a signal that he understood him.  “I know… but for me, it’s easier said than done,” he stated.  He was contemplating if he should ask the doctor as he recalled his promise to the Empress of Mars. “Doctor, is it possible for me to implant an analytical engine again?” Inaho determined to ask anyway though he expected unpleasant reactions from them.

“Nao-kun!” His sister yelled next to his ear. For a few moments, he had regretted his choice to ask such question as he was feeling his headache returning.

“May I know what the reason is for you to suddenly ask? Last time you said you’re okay without it since the war is over.  Though, you had no other alternative, but to remove it.” The doctor enquired.  By some means, he hoped the doctor was attempting to reason with him. He wished whatever the doctor had said about the new implant was only to prevent him from getting one.

“I didn’t fulfill my promise to Seylum-san yet," He mumbled. Inaho wanted his sister to be out of his room before answering the doctor, but he came to the conclusion that it was a futile effort. Perhaps, it was better to let her hear him out.

“Nao, please forget her. I know Empress Asseylum is important to you. But, how long do you plan to do things for her?” His sister asked. Yuki already learned the reason why he decided not to retire from the army was because he wanted to save the princess in the last war.  For her, his brother must be risking his life only for somebody who would never be his. Yuki too must be forgetting his promise to save Slaine from the chains of misery. If she did not remember it, she probably thought he already saved Slaine. So, what other promises remained?

Only, now he doubted he was trying to save Slaine for Asseylum. It was probably different if he had never met Slaine’s mother. It was probably different if he had never had a chance to interact with Slaine, face to face.  He was glad to tell Slaine the Empress wished to spare him.  At least, he had a chance to witness his other side while he was crying emotionally. Asseylum’s  words were abstract enough for him to understand and Slaine’s demeanor was like a puzzle for him to solve. Deep down, he also wanted to save Slaine on his own accord.

“To do things for her… I believed, ‘he’ also did the same things...” Inaho murmured.

Dr. Yagarai eventually revealed his confusion, “Sorry, but I don't think I can follow your conversation. What promise? Who is he?”

He swallowed hard and continued. “I promised to Seylum-san-," Inaho’s reply was cut off by the sudden knock on the door. He doubted his sister did not ask Slaine and his mother to hide.  He looked at his sister to discover she was already setting her eyes on him with a troubled look.  Dr. Yagarai was looking at them both, expecting them to unveil who was the other person that staying in their place. For some moments, no one let out their voice.

 

*****

 

“Mom, you should go to sleep first,” Slaine said to his mother.

Slaine noticed his mother tried to suppress her yawn before answering him, “I suppose I should wait till the doctor left. I also want to know how he was doing.”

“I will wake you up once the doctor leaves, I don’t think I can sleep now, since I already took a nap before dinner, ” Slaine tried to persuade his mother.

“Thank you, Slaine.  Please wake me up later,” his mother agreed and with that being stated, she laid down on the couch, next to his bed.

However, Slaine could not wait until the doctor departed. Last time, Inaho tried to avoid answering him when he asked about his eye. He did not think Inaho will answer him sincerely if he asked about Inaho’s headache. If possible, he wanted to hear the full explanation from the doctor himself. Hence, he decided to eavesdrop. After confirming his mother was asleep, he quietly crawled out of the blanket, got down from the bed and tiptoed out of the way.

From the back of the door to Inaho’s room, Slaine could hear Yuki’s lively voice and the doctor’s comments. He concluded Inaho already regained consciousness.  He could not hear Inaho’s voice, but he could point out Inaho was asking the doctor if it was possible to have a new implant for his eye judging from the doctor’s reply. Hearing it, he could only grit his teeth.

Slaine tried to hold himself back.  He neither wanted to interrupt nor to reveal his existence to the doctor. Yet, hearing the Yuki say something about Inaho’s promise with his dear princess caused him to immediately knock on the door. If it was a promise to save him, Inaho probably wanted to tell the doctor that he was still alive.  At first, he thought to only open  the door and barge in, but it would not be good to shock everyone inside when they were expecting no one would interfere their conversation.

Before long, after he knocked the door, he said, “I’m their guest. They told me to hide, but I wanted to confirm with you, doctor, about his condition. I’m sorry to interrupt.” Slaine opened the door, next.  The moment he came in the room, he felt a bit disturbed to witness the doctor was not surprised to see him. He was thinking perhaps his slightly unkempt hair that was getting longer and his body had become slenderer since his imprisonment, caused him to be somewhat unrecognizable.

The doctor only smiled. But after a few moments, he did readjust his spectacles and saying, “Wait, you’re…” the doctor tilted his head to face Kaizuka Inaho before resuming, “ I thought he’s…”

Without waiting for Inaho to explain the doctor’s curiosity, Slaine decided to reply on behalf of Inaho, “Dead? Yes. I ran to him in our last fight, hoping he could take my life. But, he saved me instead.”

“The empress personally requested me to save him,” Inaho intervened. For Slaine, the doctor was too calm when hearing their conversation. The doctor only shook his head, looked at Inaho next, before saying, “Knowing you, nothing is impossible.” He did not even request for further clarification from Inaho. Now, Inaho had revealed it all; it was easier for Slaine to get what he had wanted -- to ask the doctor himself about Inaho.

  



	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** Yuki had nothing to say as she was staring at both Slaine and her brother when they were exchanging some words. “If you revealed yourself only to obtain the information about my state of health, you’re mistaken. Dr. Yagarai will not violate the doctor-patient confidentiality,” Inaho told Slaine, showing he was aware of what Slaine was thinking. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot to my beta, [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha), the author of an enthralling fiction, [The [Un]Caged Bird](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5024926?view_full_work=true)!

Yuki had nothing to say as she was staring at both Slaine and her brother when they were exchanging some words.  “If you revealed yourself only to obtain the information about my state of health, you’re mistaken. Dr. Yagarai will not violate the doctor-patient confidentiality,” Inaho told Slaine, showing he was aware of what Slaine was thinking. In Yuki’s opinion, Inaho was right. Slaine may have forgotten how the system of rules was on the Earth worked since he left for Mars when he was still a child. Even if such confidentiality did not exist, Yuki expected the doctor would not share Inaho’s state with Slaine since he was Inaho’s enemy.

“Dr. Yagarai, I assume I do not need to bring up that I’m the reason for him to lose an eye,” Slaine reminded the doctor by calling the doctor’s last name. Yuki guessed, with Inaho was telling the doctor’s name, Slaine could skip asking for the doctor’s name to address him properly. Dr. Yagarai nodded to answer Slaine's question. Dr. Yagarai was neither restless nor strained to converse with the former tyrant. Yuki knew Dr.  Yagarai was always calm, but for the doctor to still maintain his composure in front of Slaine Saazbaum Troyard, was something she looked up to.

“He is Sey-Her Highness’s dear friend,” Inaho introduced Slaine to the doctor. Yuki could tell Inaho was about to say Seylum-san before he corrected himself immediately after he realized Slaine had snapped his head when he heard the name.

“I was,” Slaine corrected Inaho. Yuki continually wondered what sort of friend Slaine was, especially when she was fully aware the other was using his dear friend’s name to wage the war. Moreover, the girl who was his friend and Empress of mars always wished for peace.  Well, it appeared that she received the answer. Slaine no longer considered the Empress as a friend. More like, he thought that he was not worthy to be called her friend when he decided to against her wish.

“Suit yourself. But she still considers you as a friend. Otherwise, she would not have begged me to save you.” Inaho explained.

“I do not need to be her acquaintance to be saved. Her Highness does not need any reason to save anyone she wishes!” Slaine denied Inaho’s view while increasing his tone slightly. Slaine was probably correct as well. The Empress also was too soft to forgive the assassination attempt by both UFE and Vers’ Orbital Knights. Somehow, Inaho remained silent and decided not to argue with Slaine anymore.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, is he the reason why you want to implant that device for a second time?” The doctor’s question broke the silence.  Hearing the doctor’s question, Yuki wondered if the doctor wanted to make Inaho state the truth. If Slaine was the sole reason, Inaho definitely could not lie due to the other being present. Inaho could not avoid answering the query by dismissing Slaine either.

Inaho simply stated, “It’s for a secret operation. I’m afraid I cannot tell you more than that, doctor.” His expression remained unchanged. Yuki realized, since the doctor asked Inaho, Inaho did not once, look at Slaine. She was sure the doctor’s statement was right. Inaho tried to answer vaguely, but he did not deny the doctor’s guess.  Yuki then looked at Slaine to see how he would react after hearing Inaho’s answer, hoping she could catch some clues about what his brother was attempting to do.  She noticed Slaine had furrowed his eyebrows as he averted his gaze from Inaho. He too seemed displeased by Inaho’s answer.

For a few moments, no one was talking as if they wanted to think carefully before saying anything. “Doctor, with the current advancements of medical technology here, can he receive an eye transplant? Would he get better if he received an eye from a donor?” Slaine finally decided to ask.

“I don’t want your eye!” Inaho heightened his voice a bit. Inaho was sharp enough to gather Slaine was suggesting to donate his eye. Yuki was stunned to hear Inaho’s words as she never thought Slaine had the intention to donate his eye to her brother.

“What if... I die? Will you still not accept it even after my death?” Slaine asked another question which confirmed Inaho’s statement.  

“What are you babbling about? Don’t render my effort to save you in vain,” Inaho quickly retorted. Yuki could not agree more with her brother.

However, Slaine’s following statements confirmed that he was equally stubborn as Inaho. “Look, I didn’t want you to save me either! Remember, I desired death!” Slaine reminded Inaho.  If Yuki was not too taken aback over the fact Slaine was about to give his eye, she would probably slap him again, harder than she did earlier. He had mentioned dying multiple times now. It seemed, she still did not knock enough sense into Slaine yet. “I almost took your life. Consider it my payment for your generosity of saving mine,” Slaine added. At this point, Yuki truly believed her brother’s words that Slaine regretted his action for shooting him.

“Your eye is useless in accomplishing my mission. I want an analytical engine to be my left eye!” Inaho bluntly stated.  If Slaine was never the cause for Inaho to lose a percentage of his sight, Yuki would definitely be mad at her brother because his statement definitely hurt Slaine.  However, at the same time, she could confirm Inaho would like to receive a new implant because he not only wanted to restore his eyesight.

The doctor coughed when Slaine was about to say something, causing him to halt. “I’m sorry to disappoint you both, but under current circumstances, both are also not possible,” Dr. Yagarai said.  He then shifted his focus to Slaine before saying, “The whole eye transplant is still considered new and due to his state, there are a lot of matters that need to be considered.  It’s risky for you as well.” And so, he turned his head to face Inaho before resuming, “As for the analytical engine, your cranial nerve cannot support the new implant without any serious after effects. This should answer your previous question.”

Ironically, both of their faces hardly changed as they were picking up the doctor’s disappointing explanation. Yuki knew better that her brother hardly showed any emotions, but she was not sure about Slaine. A moment ago, he looked remorseful for shooting her brother to the point of donating his own eye. He should look unhappy with the doctor’s negative remarks, but he did not. Slaine took a glance at Inaho before changing his gaze towards the doctor again, “Is he unable to receive any implant due to the analytical engine that he had before?” Slaine's question was merely to support his assumption.  He likely had a hunch the previous implant would be the cause.

“Yes, he ceded part of his brain. I told him not to expand it any further, but-”

“Sounds like him,” Slaine interrupted the doctor’s reply.

Unable to hold her anger, Yuki snapped at Slaine immediately after he finished his words, “You’re the reason-”

“Yuki-nee...” Inaho attempted to stop her by calling her name.

“I was the reason he expanded his analytical engine to the degree he is neither able to get a new implant of analytical engine nor to receive an eye transplant. I see...” Both of his hands formed the fists as he was talking to Inaho, "Sorry, I overheard your conversation earlier. I remember you removed it because the war is over. Why do you need it now? Is there another interplanetary war to come?”

“There is no more war to fight,” Inaho said.  “The Empress is diligently trying to persuade the remaining Count to leave the world. No need for you to worry unnecessarily,” he added.

Yuki was waiting for Inaho to elaborate more on his answer. She believed, Slaine was also thinking the same. If there was no war to come, why would he need it? “All I know about your eye is, it helped you to shoot your opponent accurately in the space where the wind was tricky. It enabled you to locate the invisible kataphrakt and allowed you to put all UFE kataphrakt under centralized control when we defeated the kataphrakt with duplication ability. Slaine is right. If it is not for the war, why you need it now?” Yuki pressed her brother to explain to her.  Seeing her brother have no intention to answer her, she continued, “Inko told me the fights had put a lot of strain on your eye.”

Yuki expected Slaine would also urge Inaho to answer, only what he was doing next was truly incomprehensible.  Slaine leaned to the wall next to the doorway and crossed his arms. Then he looked away before chuckling, much to Yuki’s dismay. “What is so amusing? My brother became like this because of you!” She raised her voice.

“Nothing,” Slaine said. It took him a few seconds before he looked her in the eyes and properly answered her query, “There is nothing to be amused, indeed. I was laughing at the irony. It seemed I told my adoptive father another lie.  I told him that I finished off a Terran soldier that had been a thorn in our side to earn his trust.  Yet, it turned out you‘re alive and by possessing the analytical engine to replace your left eye, you gained numerous advantages against me. It’s worse than a thorn.” He was maintaining his eye contact as if he was expected something in return.

Yuki still remembered the moment they faced three kataphrakts at the same time. It was around the impostor’s declaration about her marriage and their new kingdom on Earth. Was he trying to tell her that he tried to kill her brother to gain the Count’s trust? So, he was upset about his action because Inaho gain another advantage which clearly became an obstacle for him to dominate the Earth, and not because he almost took Inaho’s life? Yuki did not think that she could properly interpret the situation Slaine had only said to her.  Still, if her premises were correct, she should lash out at Slaine. He was using her brother’s life! Yet, something was telling her that Slaine was only saying those harsh ‘truths’ to make her hate him more than she already did. Perhaps, only for this time, she should try  not to let her emotion cloud her judgment.

Then, Inaho simply changed the subject back, to the analytical engine.  “The device could do more than that Yuki-nee,” he said while brushing aside the previous exchange between Slaine and her.

Yuki believed her brother was trying to divert her attention. Forgetting about Slaine’s words only a moment ago, Yuki merely pouted. She tried to recall the other abilities of the device before saying, “Yes, yes, I remembered Inko telling me you could see most of the things we couldn't. You could tell the princess was an impostor-”

To her shock, Slaine immediately cut her off. “Careful with your words!" Now, it was his turn to raise his voice.  “She is also a princess and she was doing whatever she was enjoined to do... by the late Count Saazbaum and me..." Slaine added while lowering his voice back to normal.

“Forgive my sister, she didn't know,” Inaho promptly apologized on behalf of his sister.

But, Yuki clearly was displeased by her brother’s action.  She could not contain her anger anymore by clutching the bed cover under her seat. She snarled at Slaine, “I’m sorry. Just because my brother forgives you for everything you did and is being nice to you, it doesn't mean that I will!”

“Then, I'm sorry as well. I can't abide with this if you're insulting any of the princesses, regardless of who you are!” Ignoring his current position, Slaine threatened her. He was polite earlier, but now, he was rude. Yuki could not understand him.  She was aware Slaine had used the Empress’s name to extend the war. Previously, he confessed he was no longer her friend. Then, he admitted that he was the one who caused the other princess to pretend as the Empress.  If he viewed Mars’ royal as tools, why did it  annoy him so much when somebody was not addressing them properly or saying something bad about them?

“Yuki-nee, stop! Slaine you too!” Again, Inaho heightened his voice.  But this time, he was straining to sit with the doctor‘s help. He probably tried to yell, but it ended up like his usual speaking tone. His voice was barely audible since he woke up.  “Slaine, I know what you're attempting to do and I'm not buying that,” Inaho resumed.

“Oh, so you know!” Slaine replied. He took a deep breath before continuing, “But, I’m telling you the truth. I used your life to gain Count Saazbaum’s trust and save the Prin-Empress. I also used you to kill Count Saazbaum. He’s not killed by mere debris.  It’s bullets that I fired, according to Harklight’s calculations and a trap initially devised to be utilized against you. I changed my mind to use it against him right after he adopted me. If anyone could disable his protective barrier, it would be you." He resolved not to give up even if Inaho knew what his goal was.

“I’m fine with it,” Inaho simply countered.

“Pardon?” Slaine asked, probably unsure if he was heard correctly.

“I’m fine with it because you used me to protect her.”

Yuki was disturbed to hear Inaho’s assumption, but she was positive, so was Slaine. She could tell that Slaine swallowed hard. He looked speechless. Again, she deduced Inaho was right. Slaine’s action to yell at her right after she brought up the impostor already proved that he cared for them. He paused for a few moments, before, finally deciding to say something, apparently trying to deny Inaho’s guess, “I-"

But Inaho quickly continued, preventing him from completing his sentence, “I used you too...” Slaine was giving a quizzical look, expecting Inaho to explain further.  This time, though, Inaho was not neglecting him to give a clarification.  “When we saw you at Tanegashima, my sister told me you probably came fighting for the spoils. She protested the idea of working with you. But, back then, I told her, the enemy of my enemy may not be my friend, but he can still be useful. Right, Yuki-nee?”

“Y-yes,” without enough time to think, Yuki was forced to answer the question which came out of the blue.

“You hear that? I used you first to defeat Hellas! Therefore, I don’t mind if you’re using me in return. I can’t complain, especially when you’re doing it to protect her!”

Slaine only let out a sigh.  “Seems that I cannot make you hostile towards me anymore,” he enunciated.

“You tried to make us resent you, in order to change my mind about having the analytical engine,” Inaho flatly replied.

Slaine only gave his response by shrugging his shoulder.  After remaining silent for several seconds, he finally spoke, “You’re partially right. To tell you the truth, something did cross my mind that you may have been able to convince the doctor to have the surgery.” He turned his head to face the doctor soon after he finished his words.  The doctor simply smiled at him as he nodded to convey that he agreed with Slaine’s statement.

Yuki was confused with the sudden change in the conversation flow. Slaine did not deny Inaho’s comment. Therefore, her earlier intuition was correct that Slaine only wanted to provoke them.  But she did not expect Slaine did it to stop her brother from risking his life by getting the new analytical engine into his left eye socket.

“What do you mean by I’m partially right?” Inaho asked Slaine about his reply before.

“Honestly, if it is possible, I really wanted you to resent me because that's what I deserve. Then, you will have no reason to risk your life to fulfill her wish, only to ensure I’m safe.  Yet, I doubt, by telling you the truth about how I regard you as a tool back then, will infuriate you. Hence-"

Without waiting for Slaine to finish his answer, Inaho quickly continued where Slaine had left off, “Hence, you tried to prove me that I can still figure out what others were thinking even without the analytical engine.”

Slaine approved Inaho’s assumption by stating, “Yes, and you did it. As evident, you’re able to read my intention.” Inaho sighed, which was exceptionally rare for Yuki to witness. Slaine then continued, “I know something was off when you told me that I must return to the prison tomorrow. Why don’t you fill me with the details later? I'm sorry to barge into your room and reveal myself to the doctor. Though, I’m pretty sure you’re about to tell him about me when I interrupted your conversation earlier.” Yuki recalled the moment Inaho was about to inform the doctor about his promise to the Empress. But, she never expected Inaho was about to tell the doctor about Slaine at the same time. Since Inaho did not deny the other’s suspicion, Yuki assumed Slaine was not mistaken. “Dr, I know it's not my position to make any request, but please, I'm begging you, not to permit Kaizuka Inaho to have the new implant with a low success rate,” Slaine made another surprise by bowing to the doctor and pleaded for him to put Inaho’s welfare as a priority.

“It’s okay. It's my responsibility to prioritize my patient’s health,” Dr. Yagarai gave his answer.

Slaine straightened his body in an instant upon hearing the doctor’s reassuring reply. “I'm glad to hear it. Thank you.  And, about me…” Slaine trailed off, looking hesitant on how he should continue.

“Don’t worry. I'm aware, I am suppose to not tell anyone about you,” the doctor said, having been able to figure out what was worrying Slaine and gave him a convincing response. Yuki could recognize Dr.  Yagarai was being nice towards Slaine, even though at their first encounter. It seemed as the doctor had no prejudice against him, despite knowing the other’s history. She was wondering if the doctor was affected over the fact that Slaine was willing to give Inaho one of his organs or if it was natural for him to act friendly towards anyone due to his professions.

Slaine was apparently relieved to hear the doctor’s assurance. “Thank you. Then, I will take my leave first. Good night,” He said before bowing to them and eagerly turned around to open the door.

“Wait,” Inaho suddenly directed Slaine not to leave his room when he was about to set his hand over the door knob. “I have some questions for you,” Inaho said.

Slaine twirled to face Inaho, before inquiring Inaho, “Why don’t we wait for tomorrow?”

“I can't.  Since you know about my health which is suppose to be confidential, why don't you tell me something about yourself, to be honest?” Inaho countered Slaine’s question with another question.

“I already told you something about using you previously,” Slaine decided to reject Inaho’s proposal.

“I told you something about using you too...” Inaho determined not to back off from his decision.

Slaine groaned but he decided to give into Inaho’s demand, “Alright, what is it?” He was probably aware, he would only prolong the inevitable if he chose to oppose Inaho.  The quickest means to end the current talk was to comply.

“What happened after I shot you at Tanegashima?”

Slaine’s eyes twitched soon after Inaho asked. He tried not to meet anyone’s eyes and appeared to be skeptical to answer the query.  Witnessing how Slaine had reacted, Yuki anxiously waited for his reply.  Last time, Inaho told her that Slaine’s action to mortally wound him when they were facing each other in the Russia was probably derived from his action of shooting Slaine's sky carrier down at Tanegashima. If it was indeed the cause, Yuki too would like to hear what had taken place for Slaine to hold a grudge against her brother over a shot which was intended to be non-life threatening. Since, Slaine obviously attempted to make her brother hate him as a means to stop Inaho from risking his life in getting the Analytical Engine, Yuki could not help but reckon if she was able to accept Slaine’s confession about earning the Count’s trust by taking Inaho’s life.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry to end this chapter in this way. As usual, I intend to write more but it end up half from what I intended it to be. My speed of writing does not match with how I'm thinking. T.T 
> 
> A lot happened, and I get busy again. I think, next chapter will be delayed too. Thank you for all the support, comments and Kudos! ^_^


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** Slaine was curious as to why he was the cause for Inaho to implant it. Was it linked to the promise Yuki had mentioned earlier? What else had Inaho done for the Empress aside from saving him? **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot to my beta, [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha)!

Slaine was curious as to why he was the cause for Inaho to implant it.  Was it linked to the promise Yuki had mentioned earlier? What else had Inaho done for the Empress aside from saving him? Back then all he knew about Inaho was that he was the one who brought the Empress to the battlefield which nearly claimed her life. Though, Slaine should blame himself more than Inaho. He was the one who saved Count Saazbaum, not long before the Count shot the Princess.

However, Slaine could not ask them directly to fulfill his curiosity; he could not see a conceivable way to get the information he wanted from both the doctor and Inaho. As for Yuki, Slaine did not have the heart to ask her, considering he almost snatched her only family member.  He eventually decided to ask the doctor if he could donate his eye to Inaho, to lure them into giving him some information that they were unwilling to share.  If the eye transplant was indeed possible, he genuinely wanted to give his eye to Inaho as a compensation for his action, although, he had an impression that Inaho would reject his eye. But, thinking about it, he was trying to ease his ego rather than to trying to compensate Inaho. The doctor’s explanation about the possibility of Inaho receiving an eye transplant was an utter disappointment. But, at the very least, Inaho’s life was not in danger, as long as he did not opt for the new implant.

While Yuki was listing the analytical engine’s capabilities of bringing down several kataphrakts, he could tell she was talking about Scandia and Ortygia which belonged to Count Rafia and Orga respectively. He still remembered that they were fighting to prove their loyalty towards him, together with Count Zebrin and his Electris. Although they were the Martian’s Counts, and they only sided with him because of his accomplishment in destroying the UFE’s Trident base, single-handedly, Slaine could not shake off the feeling of being upset for their fall. Yet, at the same time, he was not sure if he should be grateful for their losses to Kaizuka Inaho. If they had won, the probability for him to control the Earth would have been high. He would have been close to reaching his goal. But, deep down, it was not what he always desired. He might have wished for a world without war for Asseylum.  Still, it was never his intention to reach it by _that_ means, which was not possible under his circumstances, until the Empress’s declaration to make peace with the Earth. The irony made him nearly laugh.

On second thought, Slaine decided not to stifle his chuckle. He was glad that Yuki took the bait and snapped at him. As expected, Inaho was too calm to fall for his provocation. Hence, Slaine decided to use other means.  He was glad that Inaho was presenting him with several opportunities to provoke his sister.  In the end, he was able to accomplish his objective, which was to prove  Inaho  was still able to guess what other people were thinking even without the analytical engine.

Slaine was eager to know what was the UFE higher-ups’ decision about his case, but letting Inaho rest was more important. When he was ready to leave, he never expected Inaho would ask him about something he wished to forget. A starting point where he felt indebted to Saazbaum for saving his life, from Cruhteo’s ‘long’ torments. Slaine believed he could not blame Inaho for whatever happened to him after he was captured by Count Cruhteo. He was condemned as a traitor before he tried to locate the Princess. Yuki was almost right when she was thinking he shot Hellas to fight over the spoils. He never had intended to save them.  Two years ago, he simply wanted to extract the information regarding the Princess' whereabouts, which he believed was necessary for him to get the details from the pilot of the orange kataphrakt.

Something was telling him that Inaho tried his best to protect him and it was not entirely because of his promise to the Empress. It seemed like Inaho was acting out of guilt, and for him to ask about what had happened after he shot him in Tanegashima, was proof of that. Slaine felt that he needed to hide the truth from Inaho by lying, but he also needed to think fast. Taking a long time to answer would tell Inaho that he was about to lie.   _“What’s done is done,”_ he thought.

“The doctor here, frankly told you everything about me. It’s your turn now,” Inaho’s voice startled him.  It also indicated that Slaine had used up all the time to make up a believable story.

Since Inaho could predict that he intended to fabricate the whole story, Slaine decided to give in by telling Inaho generally, “I was saved by the Vers Imperial Forces.  They brought me back to the Landing Castle and asked me for some information.”

Inaho asked right away after Slaine finished his sentences. “By interrogation?”

“Yes, you could call it that,” Slaine confirmed, as he made up his mind to stick to the truth as much as possible to avoid problems later.  “Because, I happened to pass by that island without an escort and was shot down,” Slaine continued, deciding not to excite any suspicion behind the interrogation.

“And, because of the wreckage from the Martian’s kataphrakt happened to be at the same location?” Inaho asked again, and Slaine nodded as an answer.

“What did they ask? You couldn’t have possibly told them you went there and helped us.” Yuki sounded interested, suggesting he might face some difficulty in getting away with the current discussion. Her eyes were focused on him too.

“Of course, I did not. I would have been dead by now if I did,” Slaine claimed while remembering Count Cruhteo’s words that his end will be quick if he spat out his crime. He looked away as he was reminiscing the Count’s words.

“That’s all?  I doubt that you shot him only to earn someone's trust!” Yuki grunted. “Something bad must have happened afterward for you to hold a grudge against him!” She seemed unsatisfied with his replies and explanation about his past action towards her brother. “He only shot your sky carrier’s wing. You still could have eject-,"

“The sky carrier doesn’t have an ejection seat.  Same goes for the Martian kataphrakt,” Slaine interrupted Yuki before she managed to complete her sentence. He was pleased that a chance to change the topic appeared before him. “But that was not the reason that I decided to shoot him. I hated him for bringing the Princess into the battlefield! If the Princess was away, she would not try to save him. She would not have been shot!” Slaine gave the actual reason behind his action, hoping Inaho would join in and blame him for saving Count Saazbaum.

“Do they generally call an interrogation involving a whip as asking for information?” Inaho inquired, which shifted the subject back.

Inaho’s statement was too specific.  He knew that Inaho managed to look at his scars several times, but doubted Inaho could have determined the cause simply by looking. Inaho should have no idea how an interrogation was conducted in Vers. Nevertheless, there were only a very few people who saw his scars. He never told his mother the source of his injury either. Count Cruhteo and his followers should have perished not long after Count Saazbaum attacked the Count’s landing castle.  His adoptive father was no more to tell Kaizuka Inaho he was lashed after getting captured by the other Count.  Even if Inaho had met Princess Lemrina, she did not know the exact cause since she was misled by his statement that he was mistreated after his father's death. The only person left was Harklight who managed to see his scars when he was showing them to Princess Lemrina.  Slaine never knew what was his servant’s fate after he resolved not to obey his order.

“Wait. Who told you?” without thinking twice, the question escaped from Slaine's lips as he desperately hoped  for his loyal servant to still be alive and was the one who told Inaho about it.

“You.  You told me, just now,” Inaho said.

Slaine was upset by Inaho’s reply, but he did not want to show his emotion to whoever present in the room.  He could only exhale, before asking Inaho back, “How could you attain an accurate assumption?”

“Some of the physicians could tell most of your scars were from recent injuries. They could tell they were not from common accidents too. Plus, Vers is a nation that rules using an archaic feudal system. Flagellation should be common in modern interrogations.” Inaho’s statement showing Slaine had made a mistake by confirming Inaho’s query about him being interrogated, earlier.

“Then, you’re testing your capabilities of analyzing the bits of information without the analytical engine?” Slaine tried to sound sarcastic, attempting to reduce the tension in their current conversation.

Inaho casually talked to him back, “You said, I did not require one. There is no wrong in further testing to fully confirm.”

Another chance to change the subject, Slaine thought.  He groaned, before saying, “I can't believe you.”

“Is that how you gained your scars? You were tortured because you remained silent?” To Slaine’s disappointment, Inaho gave another question to get back on track.

“My fate was sealed when I used the audition chamber to talk to the Emperor.  Due to my position as a lowly Terran, they said I defiled the sacred chamber and deemed me as a traitor,” Slaine inclined not to deny Inaho's remark. However, he did not want to make Inaho and his sister feel guilty for whatever he had gone through.

This time, instead of Inaho, Yuki was the one who questioned him, “Why did you need to speak to the Emperor?”

“To tell the Emperor that his grandchild was alive,” Slaine answered almost instantly as he felt there was nothing to conceal from them anymore. He stared at the floor, hoping there would be no more questions to come.

“To end the war?” Inaho asked shortly after he gave his answer to Yuki.  Without looking at them both, Slaine nodded to answer the following question.

Again, Yuki inquired, “So, since you're a Terran, like us, you fled and sought us for protection?”

Hearing Yuki unexpected query, Slaine lifted his head up to look at Yuki, before denying her comments, “You’re wrong.  I went to that island because I was looking for her.” He turned his head to look at Inaho, next. “But you're the only lead I had to find her. I noticed your orange kataphrakt was around when the Empress undid her hologram before Nilokeras,” Slaine continued.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn't have shot you. I thought you would harm her if you ever met with her, considering there were several attempts to end her life by some Martians," Inaho apologized for his action, which made Slaine sigh upon hearing it. It was just like Slaine had predicted; Inaho would blame himself if he knew what had happened to him.  Moreover, he had seen his scars more than once, before.

“I shot you first. It was normal to think I was your enemy,” Slaine tried to console Inaho.

Once more, Inaho asked for his forgiveness and ignored Slaine's previous statement, “I’m sorry for not bringing you back to our base.”

Yuki did not say anything.  Slaine looked at Yuki and noticed she was quite indecisive on what to say to him. He could only hope that Yuki would not act like her brother. He was starting to feel uneasy about Inaho’s behavior. Yet, Inaho’s annoying act did remind him that he also used to plea to Inaho to end his life. “Are you out of your mind? I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes! You’re right not to simply bring an enemy to your base,” Slaine grumbled.

“I’m sorry you ran to us to save yourself from being captured by them. And, you saved us. It’s my fault to have made an immediate decision to not to take you to Seylum-san,” Inaho apologized again..

“Enough!” Slaine exclaimed. Realizing he should not yell at Inaho who had only regained consciousness, not long ago, he muttered, “Don’t say any more.” Next, he tried to remind Inaho, “Didn't you hear me? You’re the only lead I had to find the Princess. That was the actual reason, I settled to save you.  Besides, due to my birthplace, they always viewed me as a traitor. Running away to help you only delayed  the inevitable. And I shot you first, remember! No need for you to say sorry. It's all in the past anyway. You should not trust me. I might have killed you while you're taking me to her.”

“Your shot caused very little harm to my kataphrakt. I wished I knew you were Seylum-san’s friend earlier. I would not have shot you. We would not be in  this si-”

“Enough, I said! The only mistake you did was, you did not shoot me to death!” Slaine yelled and prevented Inaho from going farther. Inaho’s act was getting on Slaine's nerves. Shocked by his sudden clamor, Inaho and his sister widened their eyes.  Inaho, who was looking down at the blanket before, lifted his face up and looked at him. Slaine did not look at the doctor, but he believed, the doctor was also wearing the same expression similar to them. “Because I'm alive, I gave into the torture and revealed the Princess was not dead!” Slaine said as he was trying to recollect the moment he was detained by Count Cruhteo. He was certain he had mumbled something inappropriate when he was tortured and caused Count Saazbaum to become suspicious of the Princess’ death. The worst was, Slaine confirmed she was still alive by asking Saazbaum how he knew she survived when Saazbaum praised Slaine's loyalty to the Princess.  He began to set his grip over his father’s pendant. “Because I’m alive, I caused the other loyal Count to be killed. Count Saazbaum… He was among the few who treated me kindly. If I was dead, I would not have been saved by him, and I would not have saved him in return! I would never have been his son, and I would never have killed my father!” Slaine continued to criticize for being alive.  “You should have shot me,” ”He reiterated.

“I see.  My decision to refuse your request to bring you to Seylum-san, actually caused the war to prolong,” Inaho concluded.

The conclusion which Inaho had derived startled Slaine. Slaine felt his knees were trembling. Only now did he realize that he unintentionally had put all the blame on Inaho. “I'm sorry to accuse you. I really didn't mean to... You’re not at all wrong,” he found himself at a loss for words. “Recalling all the things made me wish I had died in Tanegashima. I'm the one who made the wrong decision. I should have trusted you-”

Slaine halted his comment as soon as he picked up the faint sound of footsteps. He was too late, someone already stood at the doorway. “Kaizuka junior, are you feeling better now?  I heard-” the man stopped midway after he discovered someone was standing next to the door him right after he entered the room.  He looked at Slaine before resuming, “Oh. You have another guest,” he yawned and spoke as he was trying to observe him in the dark room which was only illuminated by the bedside lamp.

“Captain Marito! I thought I asked you to wait in the living room?” Yuki quickly asked the man to distract his attention.

“You took too long,” the man said while looking at the doctor.

“Can you wait downstairs? I will be finishing these soon!  You’re disturbing his rest,” the doctor replied.

Slaine was relieved when both Yuki and the doctor tried to protect him from being identified by the other man, who was obviously unable to recognize him due to  being drowsy. But the man’s next question, made him agitated, “I’m interrupting, but not him?” His gaze was clear this time when he was looking at him. Slaine was certain, the man in front of him could tell who he was, now.

Slaine was unsure what had to be done, what needed to be said to be precise.  He was thankful to Yuki, when she got down from the bed, turned the man around to face the doorway and pushed him to be out of the way. “I will tell you later. Now, can you please get out of the room and let Nao-kun rest?” She demanded as she proceeded to push the man forward to be out of her brother's room.

“I-I’m sorry, I thought the doctor already went home?” Another voice was heard, which made Slaine widened his eyes. It was his mother's voice. He was sure the man was about to bump into his mother on his way out.

“He’s not the doctor, and the doctor is still inside,” Yuki explained. She removed her hand from the man’s shoulder.

“S-Sorry, I will take my leave first,” his mother said to Yuki.  His mother probably woke up because of the ruckus he caused. She must have gotten up to search for him. The moment she noticed he was not in the bedroom, she probably thought the doctor had left too. Slaine was starting to feel anxious, to the point, he could hear his own heartbeats. Somehow, he also felt he was going to  hurl.  He could only close his eyes and hope the man could not tell the woman he was facing was related to him while clenching his fists.

“Wait, there is another person who resembles Slaine Troyard?” The man questioned. Slaine was contemplating if the man really did not know he actually met the real Slaine Saazbaum Troyard and not his doppelganger. Did he truly believe Slaine Saazbaum Troyard had died in the war? Or, was he simply unable to recognize him by first glance, just like the doctor?

“My son, was he…” Slaine heard his mother trail off.  The man’s word passed on the idea that he already met with her son, and his mother was ready to ask if he was in the room.

“Mom, we should leave,” Slowly, Slaine walked to the doorway and revealed himself to his mother who was standing outside of the room. Yuki and the man stayed at the sideways to make way to him.  When his mother entered the room, he swiftly grabbed his mother’s arm, attempting to make her move out of Inaho’s bedroom and return to their room. However, his mother abruptly halted her steps. She released his hold on her arm, and raised her voice, “You lied to me!”

“Mom, I-” Slaine was unable to say sorry, as his mother interrupted him, by gripping both of his shoulders.

“Why are you acting like your father? Lying to me? Hiding stuff from me?” His mother bombarded him with questions. She looked him in the eye as her grip tightened. He was certain, she was also referring to this morning’s event, when she asked him about his scars.

She was right, he was hiding things from her. But, Slaine was upset that his mother was comparing him to his father. “I’m worse than Dad! I have killed!!” He shouted as he released himself from his mother's clutches.  It pained him to raise his voice while speaking to his mother, but he was on the brink of losing control of himself. Inaho and Yuki had pressured him to reveal his secret, which he believed Inaho would blame himself for everything he had gone through. And he was right, Inaho apologized to him too many times. Now, his mother was saying his father was as bad as him.  It was like his mother was saying his father had set a bad example for him although his father had never killed a soul.  He was unsure why he was feeling weak to be so easily carried away by the current situation.

His mother moved her hand to touch his cheek, before saying, “Slaine, I-"

However, Slaine brushed his mother’s hand away. Slaine wished his mother would hate him for being disrespectful but he was mistaken. By recognizing his mother's expression, Slaine could guess his mother was about to say sorry.  He did not want his mother to feel guilty after hearing his previous statements, hence, he resumed, “I’m not only revealing myself to the doctor without your consent but, I have also pretended like nothing has happened, though, in fact, I was the one who shot him and costed him his eye. I had intended to kill him!  Yet, you sought his help, and I acted as if nothing was going on between us!” Slaine pointed his forefinger to Inaho while saying things about him. He felt that he needed to say this to his mother that they should not rely on Kaizuka Inaho too much.

“I told her that I was the one who shot you yesterday. I also told her the reason I did it was because you shot my brother when we're preparing the dinner, ” Yuki informed.  Slaine did not know why, but, he was having a difficult time understanding Yuki words. Did she try to tell him that his mother knew what he had done to Inaho all along? Like him, his mother also pretended that she knew nothing because he never told her about his attempt to kill Inaho? Suddenly, Slaine felt his surroundings were spinning.

“Slaine, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that… I only had hoped you would tell me... Please, give me another chance…you... don't have… bear it all alone....” Slaine could barely hear his mother's words.  His mother caught him as he began to fall. Immediately, he covered his mouth with his palm to prevent himself from throwing up in his mother's lap, or in Inaho’s room to be specific.  For a few seconds, he wondered if he was feeling terrible due to the stress he had to endure in the conversation that took place earlier. He had used up all his strength to argue, to plead and to explain. But then, he also remembered that he had enjoyed the dinner to the point that he ate more than he usually did.  He thought, either one of those was the cause for him to feel sick, until his mother told him, “Slaine, your fever came back.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I'm not sure when I will be freed from my busy schedule. T.T
> 
> I don't think Saazbaum ever told Slaine, he was the one who manipulate the Emperor. I believed Saazbaum heard every word Slaine told the Emperor, including that Asseylum was still alive, but Slaine never knew any of these.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** She knew her son was trying to stand on his own. She assumed he was about to get to the bathroom. But then, he fell back onto her lap and she could tell he was at his limit to prevent himself from vomiting **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot to my beta, [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha), the writer of interesting fictions, [The [Un]Caged Bird](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5024926/chapters/11548933) and [Per Your Request](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5700247/chapters/13131439).

She knew her son was trying to stand on his own. She assumed he was about to get to the bathroom. But then, he fell back onto her lap and she could tell he was at his limit to prevent himself from vomiting. Panicked, she almost did not know how she could help her son until Yuki shoved a bin to her. She got hold of the bin and gave it to Slaine, who pulled it quickly with his trembling hands and puked into until he was dry heaving. Once Yuki noticed Slaine had nothing left to let out, Yuki took the bin away. And so her son laid on her lap as if he was ignoring where he was. Hugging his body, he writhed about on the floor, indicating his stomach was in pain.

“Someone punched him in the stomach and tried to poison him yesterday.  He threw up afterward, but I'm not certain how far it could have affected him!” Inaho shouted. “He collapsed due to high fever previously, on the same day. A bullet grazed his left arm later, and he also experienced a fever last night,” Kaizuka Inaho continued to list down all the injuries and sickness which her son ever had before. Taking down the details, the doctor adjusted Slaine to flatly lie on his back. Slaine only complied, but when the doctor tried to lift up his shirt, he protested by pulling his shirt downwards. 

“Slaine, let the doctor have a look, please!” She begged her son. Nonetheless, her son shook his head. She discovered her son gripped the tip of the fabric of his shirt until his knuckles turned white, determined not to let the doctor check on him.

The doctor then stated, “Troyard, you’re in Kaizuka’s residence. They will be held responsible if anything happened to you.”

“I don’t want her to-” her son finally rasped. Unable to complete his words, he grimaced, next. But she knew, what was her son trying to enunciate. He did not want her to look at his scars.

In the commotion, Inaho tried to get up from his bed but was halted by his sister. Yuki eventually proposed to move her son to their room. Inaho and the doctor agreed with Yuki's suggestion while the other man, who Yuki called Captain Marito offered his help to move her son. Once he put Slaine on the bed, the doctor asked the others to leave, including her. His friend obviously disapproved the idea, but the doctor insisted on having no one interfering with his job. Yuki convinced the other man that the doctor  would be fine. Although Captain Marito's behavior was to be expected, considering he only knew Slaine by his past misdeeds, as a mother, she was upset. Withal, she could do nothing to defend her son. The man even brought up that her son was the one who shot Yuki’s brother while trying to reason with the doctor earlier.

The doctor also inquired her if Slaine took any medication like antipyretic or analgesic pills after his fever subsided today, which she told the doctor, her son did not consume any of it. He also inquired her about her son’s sleeping pattern and his eating behavior. She relayed to the doctor everything she knew from Kaizuka Inaho, including the nightmares and his lack of appetite that had been improving in the last two months. Although her son no longer refused to eat, he still suffered from nightmares at least once a fortnight.  She felt ashamed as she was forced to depend on Kaizuka Inaho to know how her son was doing because she had lacked the strength to face him as soon as possible. 

“It was a stress-induced sickness,” the doctor concluded. The doctor said his stomach pain already subsided, but his fever could not be simply treated using fever reducing medication.

By the time she entered the bedroom, her son had fallen to sleep. Slowly, she sat by his bed. Slaine was sleeping on his side, putting both his hands on top of the blanket, while clutching it, as if to prevent anyone from flicking the blanket without his concern. Looking at how her son was doing, caused her to wonder if Slaine was unable to rest properly due to constant worry for his scars to be seen by her. At the same time, she did regret her action for asking her son about the source of his injuries.

She played with her son’s fringe as she recollected her past, the point when she decided to leave her  family. She still remembered how her family loved to force their ideas on their children. She obeyed everything her parents said except for one thing -- to marry a man who was reckoned to be advantageous for their family. It was not the feeling that she was concerned. If she was disallowed to decide over everything for her whole life, at least, she could choose her life partner on her own. She tried to reason with her family, but they brushed her aside. Before the announcement of her engagement, she departed. She thought it was the best for her and her family. But she also realized that she made that decision because she was still upset that her family disallowed her from continuing her education in her preferred field of studies.

She thought of running away countless times. When the time came, the plans that she had devised came in handy. She traveled far away from her home after she left a note. It was not surprising to discover the news saying she had gone missing never came out. Her family would never make it public over her disappearance since they had reputations to uphold. The other possible reason was, her parents no longer worried about her since she disobeyed their order. Her father did mention that he would disinherit her if she did not agree to the arranged marriage. She ditched her name and everything linked to her except for her middle name, Ivy. It was a lie if she said her life was not hard after she ran away, but she felt contented to taste the freedom she ever had for the first time in her life.

Born with a silver spoon in her mouth made it hard for her to find a suitable job to match her skills, but she managed to secure some jobs regardless. Using a fake identity, she went to a college and entered her preferred classes. It was where she met Troyard for the first time. It turned out that he was one of the instructors for one of her elective courses.  There was a time when she had nowhere to stay for the night. Ivy had wandered aimlessly when she was approached by Troyard. He helped her to secure a place to stay, and since then, their relationship grew.

She fell for his kindness and agreed to  marry him after he proposed. Ironically, his kindness was the same reason she wanted a divorce. The first three years of her marriage were a blessing until her husband spent most of his time researching Aldnoah. He already started the research even before he married her, but his decision to help the Martian Count brought an opportunity for him to study that particular subject further. 

At first, she tried to withstand her husband's behavior for the sake of their child. However, that patience could not hold out for long. When she brought up to her husband that he was too immersed in his research and started to ignore their son, her husband argued with her that she, too, should stop doing volunteer work to help those affected in the war and focus all of her attention on their child. She was angered by his response, because as far as she remembered, she spent most of her time inside their home, rather than being outside. Only her husband was partially right that she should spend more time with their child. She was irritated because his statement was in contrast from what he had promised when they first got married -- she was free to do anything she desired and not be caged as she was when she lived with her family. Also together, they would take care their kids. She stopped doing her deliberate jobs though she doubted that would change how her husband had been acting. 

There were some changes with her husband after she decided to stay at home. He tried to spend time with Slaine. But, such precious time did not last long. Shortly after, he started to avoid her and became more immersed in his research again. Slaine was happy that she was spending more time with him yet, during that moment, she also saw Slaine’s sad look of being ignored by his father for most of the time. Her son attempted to hide his discontentment, but she knew about it. Her husband remained the same even when she reminded him several times. Ivy waited for almost half a year for her husband to change. She was losing her temper when she said wanted to go for divorce. Initially, she merely wanted to threaten her husband, but the answer she got was truly surprising. He agreed to it immediately. Her pride prevented her to take back her words and thus, they divorced.

Of course, she wanted child custody, but her financial state prevented her from taking Slaine with her. Her husband reminded her the night she had lost her home and the same thing could happen to Slaine. Getting help from her family was not an option as Slaine would probably be forced to live in the way she did before. She did not want to risk that.  Plus, her family would not be happy to have her back. She frequently visited her son after they lived separately yet, one day, they left their home without a word.  Ivy tried to trace her son, but her attempts were in vain. She never heard anything from them for many years until the Princess of Mars made a declaration that she would marry her son and that he would be the war commander for them to settle on Earth. Ivy almost fainted when she confirmed it.  She learned later that her son was adopted by the same man that her late husband had saved.  Sometimes she questioned if that was her son’s way to exact revenge on her for leaving him or if it was her fate to be killed by her own son for her past misdeeds of opposing her parents. “What goes around, comes around,” she constantly thought.

When the second interplanetary war finally ended, she followed up on  rumors that some of the Martian soldiers were treated in the hospital near to where she had been doing her voluntary work. At the time, there was no public announcement about her son’s death, and she decided to search for him in that particular medical institution.  She was right to doubt the rumor about her son being killed in the war, as she eventually met with him after several attempts to search for the truth. 

Watching her son sleeping like this, made her recall the second she first met her son at the hospital after being separated for so many years.  She still remembered the moment she held her son’s hand firmly while he was unconscious.  That time she promised to herself that she would perform whatever it took, to atone for her sin of leaving her child with her former husband. She had no issue to accept him for whoever he was, but the problem was whether her son would able to accept her. The next time they met was in the safe house, where Slaine obviously rejected her. She thought her son was unable to forgive her for leaving him under his father’s care until she was told by Inaho that it was the other way around; Slaine was the one who was unable to forgive himself and he believed he no longer had rights to meet her.

She was not a good mother to her son.  That was what Ivy told herself when she noticed her son losing his footing after encountering her around half an hour ago.  She knew she was wrong to be furious with her son, but she was also unable to ignore the pair of eyes which were hiding something from her. She did not want to lose her son like she lost her husband. Thinking about those possibilities caused her to lost control over her emotions.

Her son was the consequence of her past mistakes. If she never ran away from her family or if she was able to endure her married life without asking for a divorce, her son would not suffer like this. Yet, the family which she chose not be dependent on was the one who helped her to clean up her mess and protect her son from the death penalty.  Her brother even made an arrangement to take him into the household.  He informed her that was the best path to protect her son. Thinking about everything about her son had to go through, caused her to shed tears.

“Mom?” Slaine’s voice suddenly startled her when she was busy mulling over the past.

“Slaine!” She called her son’s name as she quickly dried her tears. 

“You can’t sleep?” her son asked.

“Hmmm, soon. I’m going to bed soon,” Ivy replied. Slaine seemed to have forgotten that they had an argument previously and she did not want to remind him.  After all, the doctor did ask not to impel him to talk about the past for the meantime, or else his psychogenic fever might  worsen. “The doctor told me you need rest.  You should try to sleep,” she proceeded.

“Mom... you always read me a story… before I went to bed.” His sentence was broken by his ragged breath.

“Then, you want me to read a story for you?” She tried to confirm.

Slowly, her son only shook his head,  “No... Can I tell you a story before… you go to bed?” 

For some moments, Ivy was wondering if her son was being delirious. She put her palm against her son’s forehead and it was indeed still hot to touch. “You’re not feeling well. How about we do that later? Now, please get some sleep first,” She told her son to take some rest.

“Please... It will be short,” Slaine pleaded. 

It has been a long time since she heard her son begged anything from her.  His misty eyes were hard to resist, hence she decided to find out what her son was eager to tell her, “Alright, Dear.”

Slaine smiled and thanked her, “Thank you, Mom.”

“May I know why you suddenly decided to tell me a story?” Intrigued to know the reason, Ivy queried.

“I meant to ask… I want to know more about this story. But I'm not sure who I could ask,” her son answered as his fingers were fiddling with the blanket.

“It’s fine.  You could ask me anything,” Ivy stated, though, she really did not know how true her statement was.  She only could hope she could present her best answer for every question her son would ask. Then, she swept her son’s hair to the side and looked him in the eye.  “Okay, what is the story about? Maybe, you can tell me the title?” She asked again, hoping that she had an idea of what sort of story her son was going to tell.  Provided that she ever heard the tale, she could ask her son to rest now, since she would tell everything she knew about it, without the hassle of getting her son to narrate the tale to her first.

“I'm not sure about the title, but it is a story about the boy’s life after he met with the princess in a faraway kingdom… Do you... still want to hear about it? Or, do you find it... does it not suit to your interest?” Slaine seemed to be considering if he wanted to continue to narrate the tale.

She did not think her son could read her mind that she actually preferred not to hear his storytelling for now.  She was worried about his health and plenty of rest was necessary for him. But, the way Slaine was asking just now, leaving her no choice but to hear everything he was going to tell. “No, I want to hear it.  You can start anytime, Slaine,” Ivy encouraged her son to go along at whatever he wished to do.

“Thank you, Mom,” Slaine smiled at her after he mumbled words of gratitude.  Then, he started to narrate the story, “One day, a boy from Sapphire land, followed his parent to travel to the Ruby Kingdom. He fell and nearly died if not for the princess who found him and saved his life.”

Slaine told her that the boy’s parent passed away a few years later and the princess brought him to her palace. The boy was sad for his loss, but the princess tried to cheer the boy by bombarding him with several questions regarding his birthplace. He told the princess about the gems which the Sapphire land possessed that the Ruby Kingdom did not. Since the princess had never been in Sapphire land before, she was mesmerized by the boy’s explanation. When the boy was explaining about the gems, he unintentionally reminded the princess about the first war between the two nations which occurred out of hate and jealousy. The princess was saddened by the fact that they all could not coexist together -- be it the gems, or the people from both provinces.  Unable to witness the princess’ upset look, he reassured the princess that it was possible for all of them to live together with careful planning and hard work.

Her son did not say a lot about how was the boy’s life after being taken in by a noble, but apparently the boy was experiencing many difficulties while staying with a noble who hated his kind. However, the boy’s vow to show the princess the beautiful gems from his birthplace became the source of his strength to swallow all the hardships. Slaine continued to tell about the boy’s reunion with the princess after he turned to a young man, only to be separated shortly because the princess wished to visit the Sapphire land. Unfortunately, the war broke out between the two provinces, because the princess assassinated on her way to promote peace. He learned later that  the assassination was a conspiracy to fuel a second war.  The princess actually survived and her fate was unknown by her people except for a baron who was involved in the scheme to killed her. He killed the baron, leaving no witness regarding the princess' affair before he went back to the noble's palace.  It was the first time that the young man ever killed. He told none of it other than the king. However, due to his birthright, he was deemed a traitor and forced to flee. When he tried to locate the princess, the Orange knight from Sapphire land interfered with his attempt. Subsequently, he was caught by the noble and was tortured for information. Yet, he endured it all in order to hide the princess’s fate. The young man was saved by another noble who was indebted to his dead parent. While saving him, the noble also killed the other noble who took him in after his parent’s death. As much as he was grateful that the noble saved his life and treated him kindly, it was the same noble who was the mastermind behind the princess’s assassination. Later on, due to feeling indebted  and the noble’s speech about breaking the cycle of hatred, he saved the noble when he was about to be killed by the Orange knight. However, the noble stabbed the princess in front of him. Out of rage, he killed the Orange knight.  He hated the knight because he brought the princess into the battleground.  He also used the knight’s life to prove his allegiance to the noble in order to save the princess’ life.

Moving forward, the young man became the knight of the Ruby Kingdom for saving the noble. The noble sought help from the princess' younger sister to pretend as her sister, the crown princess, for the sake of prolonging the war with the Sapphire land. Later, he found out that the Orange Knight had in fact, survived from the young man's attempt to kill him. Following the noble named him as his inheritor, the young man rose through the ranks after he killed his adoptive father.  He killed thousands of his own kind to convince the knights and nobles of Ruby kingdom that he sided with them. The tale became more tragic when the princess who finally woke up from her deep slumber shortly after the young man agreed to marry the younger princess and resolved to continue to walk on the path of carnage, to acquire his former land to end the war.  He doubted there would be any  path left for him to return  to his naive old self, but he pretended as one as to fulfill his promise to show the princess the gems she always wanted to see. He loathed himself for playing with the hearts of the two young women which he cared most.

It turned out the princess already saw one, with the Orange knight he always despised. Eventually, his lies were exposed by both princesses. The elder princess tried to stop him and completely disagreed with his inhumane method to attain peace. With a heavy heart, he turned a deaf ear to her demand while putting up a facade of a betrayer. Well, he did try to execute it in the so-called right way before, but he failed. Thus, he no longer cared what it needed to create a peaceful world as a gift for the princess. In spite of his ability to foresee things which bestowed upon him nearly before he was entitled as a knight, he, however, could not dictate that the princess would run away with the son of a noble who was killed by his adoptive father.

It was a wonder that the younger princess remained by his side despite his wrongdoings to her. He sent her away to protect her.  The young man opted to end his life, and tried to break the cycle of hatred like his deceased adoptive father intended to do.  However, the same goes for his loyal retainers. He wished he could prevent their fall, but all his faithful servants chose to follow him to death. Yet destiny prevented him from meeting his end, even after his last fight with the Orange knight. The knight saved him, and the knight told him that the princess wished for him to be spared.

At first, Ivy was wondering why Slaine insisted on not specifying which was the parent actually that he boy followed in his journey.  As the story progressed, Ivy became more suspicious that her son was actually telling her, his life after he traveled to Mars rather than a complicated fairy tale. The Sapphire land could present the United Earth while the Ruby Kingdom was the Vers Empire. Still, she could not figure what exactly were the gems her son was talking about. It was a common knowledge that Mars has many flaws compared to Earth. The Orange knight? Did he mean Kaizuka Inaho? But she began to doubt her intuition when Slaine was bringing in the princess’ younger sister in his narration. She had neither heard that the Empress of Mars had one nor that the Empress wished for her son to be saved. Even Kaizuka Inaho never told her any of it.

“Mom, what did the boy do wrong?” Slaine’s question disturbed Ivy when she was lost in relating the ancient tale with Slaine’s possible past.

“Pardon?” Ivy requested for her son to repeat, not that she could not pick up his voice, but because she was not ready with the possible answers.

“Mom, at what point did the boy do wrong?” Quickly, Slaine repeated his query. However, this time, he did not wait for his mother’s reply for long. “Was it the time when he told the princess about his birthplace? If the princess never knew about that land, she never would have wished to go there right?  Or, was it when he was unable to prevent her from going down to that land? If the princess never went there, the assassination would not have taken place and the war would not occur, right?” Slaine continued to chant as he took her hand.

“Slaine,” Ivy called her son’s name as an attempt to keep him from going on talking.

Still, Slaine ignored and asked his mother again. “What should the boy have done to prevent himself from staining his hands with blood? What should he have done to keep all the people he cared about, safe without killing the other or being killed?” Ivy then attempted to call Slaine’s name again for the second time, but the result was still the same. “I’m always wondering, why did the princess wish for him to be spared? She should have spent her wealth for her people, not to keep a betrayer alive, shouldn't she? Was the confinement a greater punishment than a death penalty for his offense?” Slaine constantly questioned her like there was no tomorrow. He no longer looked at her as his grasp on her hand stiffened.

“Slaine!” Ivy shouted. She really intended to stop her son for good. Her attempt was a success this time.  Slaine stopped talking abruptly, although he was thrown off by her sudden behavior. Ivy knew her son want to say sorry.  However, before he managed to let out any words, Ivy said to him, “I’m sorry to raise my voice. Slaine, you should not overexert yourself. You’re not feeling well now.”

“I-" 

“I’m not angry with you. Please, you have spoken enough. Now, give me some time to answer your questions." With a soft voice, Ivy prevented her son from completing his sentence. Then, she took a deep breath before answering Slaine’s query, “Slaine, my dear. Truthfully, I don’t have an answer for what the boy did wrong. I'm so sorry. Sharing knowledge with a friend was a respectable thing to do. And, the boy did try to stop the princess, but it was not within his power to hold back a royal. I can't blame him for that either. If I was that boy, I’m not sure what else I could have managed without killing anyone in that circumstance. However, killing is obviously wrong. Still, the boy wanted to protect someone who was dear to him, someone who saved his life. I’m sure I would have done the same to protect you.” Ivy waited for some time, taking her time to observe her child’s expression after he heard her answer. Slaine knitted his brows, seemingly confused and clearly disappointed with her reply. Once she was certain on what to say, she resumed, “Slaine, if there was anyone to be blamed, I would blame his parent and the adults around him for manipulating him. If his parent had taken him away, far from their home only to be left alone afterward, his other parent should have prevented it.” Seeing how Slaine reacted while letting out his thoughts and demanding answers from her before, Ivy was positive that Slaine was talking about his past.

Tears were welling up in Slaine’s eyes. “Mom...” he rasped.

There was no way she could say to her son that the Empress had irked her due to what Slaine had to become in order to protect his savior. Nevertheless, Ivy still felt that she needed to thank the Empress for saving Slaine. Ivy proceeded to give Slaine, her standpoint on why the princess desired him to be spared in the end of the story. “Perhaps, the princess was feeling guilty over what had happened to her dear friend.  Maybe, she also felt that she was the one who turned her friend into someone else.” Ivy told Slaine her honest opinion and tried to soothe her son at the same time. “It’s possible that she still believed her kind childhood friend was still somewhere within that young man.”

As soon as Ivy finished her words, Slaine looked away, breaking eye contact with her. “I’m sorry. I'm not yet ready to tell you everything… I really can’t-”

Slaine asked for her forgiveness next, but she interrupted him. “It’s all right. Just take your time.  I'm sorry too. I should not have pushed you to tell me everything,” she apologized as well, for letting her emotions get the best of her. The fact that her son nearly died yesterday, caused her to be terrified of losing him. And how Slaine had acted some time ago, reminded her of her deceased husband and the day she lost her child.

When Ivy was apologizing, Slaine looked at her again and showed her his tired eyes. Her son might have forced himself to stay awake, she supposed. “Mom… I wish I never left Earth,” he croaked as he slowly closed his eyes.

A sob choked her as she heard the statement. Her son’s breath became more steady hinting that he finally, managed to fall asleep. Ivy did not want to disturb her son so she gently removed her hand from her son’s weak grasp. Promptly, she took both her hands and brought them to her mouth to stifle her cry. She was long past her limit of preventing her tears from coming down in front of her son. She understood that her son did not want to tell his life after leaving for Mars directly as not to upset her. She did not know how long she silently cried and sobbed like a child, thinking what her son had gone through alone, without her by his side.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay. Out of my stubbornness and stupidity, I injured my dominant arm. I stopped writing for almost three weeks. It's fully healed now, but I hope nothing similar will happen after this. However, this chapter also quite hard to write. 
> 
> I'm not sure how long I will keep apologizing for the delay. Writing is definitely not my strength. I've forgotten what was the actual reason I decided to write. Thanks a lot to my beta, [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha) for being my side to help me. 
> 
> My spoken language has no plurals, no gender nouns, no possessive nouns, has neither past tense nor present tense. When I was chatting I was told that my English was good. It may good for chatting (at least to the point the other party could understand what I was trying to say) but it is not good enough for writing. I just realized the truth after submitting my works to my beta. Sorry for start writing T.T. But, I do wish to continue writing as to improve my skills as well as completing this story. Thank you for all the support given. Thank you.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** “I feel bad for asking Dr. Yagarai and Marito to stay for the night in the living room. Since the guest room is occupied, I had no choice but to make their bed in the living room,” Yuki said right after she entered into Inaho’s room **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot to my beta, [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha) for proofreadin my works!

“I feel bad for asking Dr. Yagarai and Marito to stay for the night i n the living room. Since the guest room is occupied, I had no choice but to make their bed in the living room ,” Yuki said right after she entered into Inaho’s room. She was carrying a tray with a small basin and towels. She put the tray on the top of his writing desk, near to the doorway. Inaho doubted that he needed them, but he was wondering why she stopped by his room if she was going to send them off for Slaine’s use.

“You did ensure they’re comfortable to sleep here, didn’t you?” Inaho asked his sister ignoring his curiosity over what she was doing.

“Yes, I did. But-” 

“It's rather late. It’s kind of strange for Dr. Yagarai to ask for Captain Marito to come along and drove him here. He is probably worn out,” Inaho cut her sister off.

“They may have been drinking together when I called Dr. Yagarai,” Yuki told Inaho, her assumption.

“If that's the case, it’s even worse,” Inaho replied.

Yuki agreed with him, “You’re correct.” Still, her expression signified otherwise.  She did not look at him and her mind appeared to be wondering to somewhere else.

“Plus, it’s going to rain heavily soon, according to the weather forecast. The rain will be accompanied by a strong wind. It's typhoon season currently.  I think, it's better for them to rest here and wait till dawn,” Inaho added, giving his sister another reason for holding the doctor and his friend in their home. He meant to say to his sister that she should pay more attention to the climate changes, but he did not want to remind her now. She was desperately worried about him.  That was the reason she sought the doctor’s assistance in the middle of the night. The truth was, it was not only for the Dr.Yagarai and Captain Marito’s good, but it was also for Slaine’s benefit. During the past few days, Slaine seemed to be getting better, but then, his fever kept coming back. Although it was not life-threatening, at least the doctor can immediately check on him if his fever kept rising like last night. The fever could be a sign of an underlying health problem.

“If you say so,” Yuki mumbled as she tipped her back on the door.  She looked a bit sour. Inaho noticed her sister’s eyelashes were damp.  He suspected that his sister must have cried before going into his room.  For some time, he pondered if his sister was worried excessively over his well being. However, when he was about to confirm with her about it, his sister threw a question to him, “Inaho, are you fine living with me?”

Thinking her question was too sudden and sensing his sister was not like her usual self, Inaho asked his sister back, “Yuki-nee, where is this coming from?” 

“Inaho, I do realize, I couldn't fulfill the parenting role for our parents.  I'm sorry that you were forced to be with me in poverty when I was still not fit to secure a job.  Sorry, you may find I’m selfish, but I’m glad that I still had you when our parents died.  I-I can't imagine how I could have pulled through if I were alone,” Yuki explained. Inaho knew his sister was referring their days after they left the orphanage.

Inaho started to recollect his childhood when they started living together. He still remembered how Yuki kept apologizing for every single thing even things she had no control over. Truthfully, he preferred living together with his sister compared to when he was at the orphanage, though, they owned very little to live on their own. “Me too, Yuki-nee. I'm glad I have you to depend on,” Inaho answered in all honesty.

“Thank you for relying on this hopeless sister, Nao-kun,” Yuki gave her gratitude with a bright smile on her face.  The sad face really did not fit her.

Inaho reassured his sister, “If you were hopeless, you would never have brought me out of the orphanage. You’re not hopeless, Yuki-nee.”

“Thank you, Nao-kun. I’m lucky to have a brother like you,” she praised.  “Except, I’d probably be a luckier sister if you weren’t too stubborn once you made up your mind,” she continued with a smug expression.

Inaho replied indifferently, “I learned that from you, Yuki-nee.” 

“Nao-kun!” Yuki shrieked, letting out her displeasure over how he had answered.

Inaho believed his lips almost formed a smile seeing Yuki’s reaction.  But then, he thought of the stuff that Yuki brought in when she entered his room. “You should give those to Slaine. Shouldn’t you?” Inaho asked Yuki as he shifted his gaze to the tray on his desk.

“Ah, you’re right!” Yuki exclaimed. With that, she grabbed the tray and left Inaho’s room. 

Inaho only realized later that their exchange before told him none the reason why his sister suddenly asked him a very unusual question. But, for now, there were other issues he required to take care of.  He wanted the other guards to monitor the officer’s movement and now report to him if the officer who tried to kill Slaine made any suspicious moves after he was released. In spite of that, the officer who tried to kill Slaine was nowhere to be found when Inaho asked for the other guards to look for the officer at the officer's home.

At first, Inaho planned to instruct the other guards to look for that officer.  But, considering they would be demanded to work in the tight schedule after Slaine’s return to the safehouse, he canceled his plan.  No one would harm Slaine as long as he stuck around with him.  Besides, for Slaine to be returned as soon as possible, made him restless. Inaho began to doubt if the officer planned the killing attempt by himself.  The higher ups might deduce Slaine was dangerous since he attempted to shoot the officer.  Still, it could be that somebody had planned the next trial to hurt Slaine.  Ignoring the sound of howling wind and the rain that started to spit against the window, which was having the tendency to lower the temperature in his room, Inaho brought the notebook on the bedside table closer to him. He decided to dig more into the officer’s background.

 

***

 

Yuki felt that it was necessary for her to do something to allay Slaine’s fever.  Somehow, she guessed that she was partly to be blamed for his current state.  She was present when the doctor was telling Slaine’s mother about the cause of Slaine’s sickness. She prepared a basin of water mixed with ice cubes.  Carefully, she put the basin and two clean napkin towels on the tray and proceeded to the guest room. There was no more cooling strips in her home as she used up all when Inaho was down with a fever last time.  Once she reached the door to the bedroom, she noted the door slightly parted. Yuki could hear Slaine and his mother were having a conversation. More like Slaine was telling his mother a story. 

_ “Princess? A fairy tale? Shouldn't it work the other way around?” _ Yuki asked herself. She stayed still behind the door, waiting for Slaine to finish his story telling. She knew, she should not eavesdrop on them, but the way Slaine told his story made her intrigued to hear more.  Is this how his mother always told her stories whenever Slaine went to sleep? She wished she could do the same for Inaho, back then.

Even so, the latter part of Slaine’s story made her uncomfortable.  Somehow it bore some similarities with the existent world, especially when he mentioned about the war. The details were different, but the line up was the same. Furthermore, a while ago, Slaine just mentioned what happened to him after Inaho shot him down at Tanegashima.  It was still fresh on her mind how Inaho kept mentioning the princess who promoted the war was not the same princess whom they knew a year ago, and how furious Slaine was when she stated something about the impostor. She too, unable to hold back her tears when she realized the story about the boy, his solitary life, and his difficult decisions were indeed a reality.  She was sorry for the boy in the tale. At the same time, she was glad that she was not the sole survivor of her family. Yet, it reminded her, how hard for Inaho to stay with her while she was unable to fulfill their parents' responsibilities to take care of him.

When she picked up the quiet sniveling from the inside of the room, she left. Then, she decided to check on Inaho.  She tried to control an urge to ask him how was his life when they were living together on their own. The reason was, whenever she asked him about it, Inaho always said she was a good sister, there was nothing to be discussed and there was nothing she did wrong and to be forgiven.  She intentionally expressed her concerns about the doctor and her supervisor. However, it was not easy for her to forget their past.  She still was unable to forgive herself for not protecting Inaho from his impairment.  It was unacceptable for her to forget that her brother barely survived the war.  Abruptly, the question slipped from her lips. As usual, Inaho gave his reassurance.  It was anticipated, but hearing it another time, she could feel her load had noticeably reduced. Then, she back to the guest room.

Yuki wished she knew if Slaine’s mother had calmed down. But she could learn nothing if she simply stayed in the hallway. Thinking she might catch Slaine’s mother in her worst moments, she tapped the door and waited for Slaine’s mother to respond. It took about a minute before Slaine’s mother let out her cracking voices and called Yuki to come in. Once Yuki entered the room, she saw Slaine was lying on the bed his eyes closed. Soft sighs were heard from his slightly parted lips. He looked exhausted, but at least it was not equally bad as the previous night. Without lifting her eyes from Slaine, Yuki handed over the tray with the basin and towels to Slaine’s mother. Yuki only glanced at her when the tray changed hands. “Thank you,” she said softly. Before Slaine’s mother expressed her gratitude, Yuki was contemplating if it was alright for her to let out her voice. She wanted to ask about her son’s condition but afraid if it will wake him up.

“How is he?” Yuki finally asked. She felt that she needed to really about how Slaine was doing.  She intended to get back to her brother's room. It was not surprising to see Slaine’s mother merely shook her head while wringing the napkin towel after soaked it in the cold water. Yuki was unsure what to say.  She only looked at Slaine’s mother who was ready to place the damp towel over Slaine’s forehead.

As soon as the towel touched his skin, Slaine opened his eyes, “Mom?” he asked with unfocused eyes. He was blinking some moments before he fixed his gaze on his mother. “You said you will go to sleep soon,” Slaine obviously reminded his mother.

“Let me nurse you until you get better,” his mother replied at the same time she spruced the towel properly on her son’s head.

“I’m fine…,” Slaine reassured, but for Yuki, his condition spoke otherwise. “Dad… he always left me alone...  I used to take care of myself,” he appended. If her calculation was right, Slaine’s father passed away when Slaine was still young.  Meaning that Slaine was used to being by himself when he was even younger than now. Again, his words reminded her of Inaho.  She too used to leave him after she secured a line of work.  Not to mention, he also was the one who cooked the meals and did most of the house chores.

“I can't leave you like this,” Slaine’s mother urged. 

“Mom, I know you didn’t have enough sleep last night,” Slaine said.  He paused for a bit, took a deep breath and continued, “Dad always took his sleep lightly. Please... Don't be like Dad.”

His mother’s eyes became watery immediately after he finished his sentence. “I will go to sleep once you fall asleep.  Is that alright?” She asked her son. Slaine only nodded as he closed his eyes. Tears trailing down from Slaine’s mother’s face afterward, but she wiped it quickly. 

“I will take my leave,” Yuki said in an undertone. She hoped she would not disturb Slaine’s rest. Slaine’s mother slightly bent her body as a response. 

Yuki turned her back, heading for the door before she heard her name being called. “Yuki-san…” Apparently, Slaine was the one who called her name.  “Thank you,” he croaked.

“You’re welcome," Yuki replied with a smile. "Please get well soon. Inaho is fine,” she added. Somehow, she felt an urge to tell him how his brother was doing. She got the feeling Slaine was about to ask her about him.

“I see…” he muttered and closed his eyes again. Even speaking appeared to be strenuous for his body now.  Seeing him in that state, made Yuki’s heart fill with regret for acting harshly towards him and pushing him to tell them the truth, before.

 

***

 

Inaho managed to study a few documents regarding the officer when Yuki came back.  Inaho was too immersed in his analysis, for him not to notice Yuki already inside of his room for the second time. His shoulder jolted when Yuki called for his name, “Inaho, I thought you went to sleep!” Her tone was telling him, she was not pleased to see he was still working. What was more, he just collapsed a few hours ago due to lack of sleep.

“I guessed the same thing about you,” Inaho nonchalantly replied as he closed the lid of his notebook and put it again on his bedside table.  Same went for his phone. He wanted to give an idea that he was going to sleep. “How is Slaine?” Inaho queried as an endeavor to spare himself from being scolded by her sister. He doubted there would be any changes in Slaine’s condition in a short time after he received the treatments from the doctor.

This time, Yuki spoke monotonously while crossing her arms, “The only person you should worry most is yourself.” Inaho had no idea how to argue back.  He was to be blamed for being a source of vexation for his sister. Yuki then walked to the corner of his room and turned on the heater.  “I came back to turn on the heater, so you can sleep comfortably,“ she stated the reason why she decided to get back to his room. “You’re right, it’s raining heavily now,” she added.  Then, she ensured the window in his room was locked, before forcing the end of the curtain to cover the window behind it.  After a few moments of silence, Yuki finally answered his question, “About Slaine, I’m not certain.  I can say his condition at least, not as bad as last night, but I guess, he was… different?  I don’t know if he was conscious when he was talking with his mother.” She was still holding the curtain and did her eyes were still riveted on it.

“Delirious?” Inaho guessed. Yuki only shrugged, but she looked at him this time. 

“I suppose there’s nothing to worry about. Dr. Yagarai is here. His mother can fetch the doctor to check on him again if she felt necessary.  He is sleeping now,” her sister expressed her opinion.

Soon after his sister completed her sentence, Inaho yawned. He felt relieved that he did not need to fake it. “Speaking of sleep, I also feel sleepy now. Good night, Yuki-Nee,” Inaho greeted his sister.  Next, he fluffed the pillow and laid his head on it.

Yuki nodded and replied, “Okay, good night.” She, then, walked to his bed and drew up his comforter to properly cover his shoulders. Without warning, she swiftly grabbed his notebook and his phone.  “I’m confiscating these two for tonight,” she declared.

“Yuki-nee!” Inaho called his sister’s name. 

“It’s a good thing I never knock your door, otherwise, I never know that you’re busy with your work while ignoring the current state you’re in,” his sister exclaimed.

“At least give me back my phone. I need… I need the alarm to wake up early tomorrow morning,” Inaho made up a reason to get his device back.

Anger was shown on Yuki’s face. With tensed voice, she reminded him, “You’re not working tomorrow. If you're worried about the guests, there is nothing you could do even if you wake up early. Your arm is injured!”

Withal, as usual, Inaho responded nonchalantly, “At least I can wake you up.”

Yuki took a deep breath. Inaho could tell, her sister had enough dealing with him.  “You’re concealing something from me, aren't you?” Yuki asked at last.

It took Inaho some time to give his response to his sister. Thinking back, he wasn't get his phone anyhow. There was no difference if he decided to keep the secret from his sister.  He even had no energy to spend to get back his belongings from Yuki. “They released the officer this evening due to lack of evidence. We must return Slaine to the safe house tomorrow,” Inaho confessed what was weighing his mind.

“What? But-"

“Shh, Yuki, you’re too loud! I have not informed his mother yet.” Inaho interrupted his sister.  It was expected to see Yuki will be shocked to discover the news.

“There is no way… I don't understand…,” Yuki let out her thought.

“That's why I'm exploring for some ways to prove his crime and prevent Slaine from going back there,” Inaho explained. “Now, could you please give me both my notebook and my phone back?” Since his sister knew what was he trying to do, he asked for his devices to be returned, hoping his sister would grant his request.

“No, you can’t,” She answered almost at once. 

“Yuki, you saw the situation he’s in, right? We can’t just-” His speech was cut off by his sister.

“Just tell me what you’re dying to do.  I will do it for you,” Yuki offered her assistance. There was no way Yuki could accomplish his task.  As far as he knew, she was not really well at doing these kinds of works. 

“You’re going to say, I’m not fit to do it, am I right?” His sister obviously knew well what he was going to say. Now, he was at a loss for words.  He only averted his eyes, wishing he could find a reason to proceed with whatever he intended to suffice.  “I know, I’m not suited to do this. But, if you stay like this, your health will deteriorate. What would happen to him when the time has come for none other than you who could protect him from danger if you were to collapse just like today?” His sister continued to ask him.

By some means, his sister presented him a valid reason for her to get hold of his tasks.  He accepted her aid, informing her on how she should proceed and let his sister possess his communication devices.  Again, he bid her good night and tried to sleep by shutting his eyes while lying down on the comfy pillows.  He strived to console himself that he could never resolve the mystery that night as he needed to be in his best condition.  As much as he wanted to dig more about Slaine’s case, his sister would not tolerate it.  The sound of the howling wind and the rain battering the roof hindered him from getting his sleep, but he had to try any way.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time, I have no solid reason for delaying this chapter, except for my workload and writer's block. Sorry for the delay ＼(_ _)


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** Slaine woke up feeling the warm towel on his forehead. Involuntarily, he opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot to my beta, [hakumei_hogosha](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/pseuds/hakumei_hogosha) for proofreading this chapter in a short time even you're still on your way to recovery. I wish you to have a speedy recovery. Thank you.

Slaine woke up feeling the warm towel on his forehead. Involuntarily, he opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. Slaine let out a sigh upon seeing his mother was sleeping by his side and not on the sofa. Her hand was holding his. She was sitting on the floor where it was covered by the rug.  Although it was uncomfortable to sleep like that, it might be better to sit on the floor and lean against the bed rather than sitting on the chair.  

“At least she got the blanket and covered her body with it before sleeping,” Slaine deduced. He moved his gaze to the window which was not covered by the curtains. The curtains were swept to the each side of the bay. “Did Mom still remember that I love to sit by the window and watch the rain pouring?” Slaine asked himself. Watching the rain fell pitter-patter on the window, he recalled back the time when the doctor was checking on him.

\- - -

_Once they were left alone in this room, he let the doctor see his bruise on the stomach.  The doctor’s reaction was anticipated the moment Slaine lifted his shirt, exposing the scars crisscrossed his body.  He hated to witness that kind of demeanor. Everyone seemed to forget who he was whenever they saw his ugly marks.  The doctor stared at them for a few seconds before professionally ignoring them and moving on to press his belly again and to determine where he could feel the pain.  Immediately after Slaine let out a hiss, the doctor held back and confirmed the aching area. Dr.Yagarai took his temperature afterward.  Then, he handed Slaine a pill and a glass of water to ease his discomfort._

_The doctor tried to converse with him by talking about how his father’s research has benefited many people. Nonetheless, Slaine was uninterested in joining the talk. His eyelids were heavy and he wanted to go back to sleep quickly.  He turned his back to the physician, so that, the doctor would leave him soon.  After the verbal fight, he had with his mother, Slaine did not want to confront her. He had hurt her plenty._

_Yet, Dr.Yagari managed to pique his interest when the doctor disclosed some information about his previous patient, “Last time, I had a patient who suffered from several symptoms of mental disorder for more than fifteen years.  He went through an awful experience and he said, he killed his companion. He blamed himself, though he had no other choices at that time.” He turned his head to face the doctor to find out more. The doctor smiled at him before resuming, “He has healed by now, but one of the processes required him to talk to other people about his issues.”_

_“I can't,”  Slaine quickly let the doctor knew._

_However, Dr. Yagarai ignored him and added, “It's not only for you. It's also for those who care about you.  I’m not pressuring you to share everything. But, they are always there for you to start accepting the past, turn over a new leaf and look forward to the future, like my patient did.” The doctor was not the first person to give him that advice._

_Slaine wanted to pay the doctor silent treatment like he always did to Inaho several months ago. But thinking twice, he felt he should not do it.  The doctor had done a good deal for someone like him. “Thank you… for your treatment… and your advice,” Slaine thanked the doctor after the doctor excused himself to leave the room._

_He was not sure how long he had been sleeping, but when he awoke, his mother was at his side.  At that instant, the doctor’s words came back to his mind.  At least he wanted to hear another’s view if they were in his position.  In the past, he was certain to calculate every move and decision he was going to make. Yet, everything still went wrong. In the end, he still could protect nothing.  He wanted to speak to her, but he was not sure where to begin.  He was convinced that his mother would be unhappy to hear his life after he traveled to Mars. Then, he recalled his childhood memories, when his mother used to tell him a story before went to bed. His father also did it, sometimes.  Hence, he decided to tell a ‘fairy tale’ to his mother, hoping she could provide him the answers for his doubts while keeping the secret of his former life._

\- - -

Nonetheless, his mother was able to tell, he was actually talking about what he had gone through after leaving the Earth.  He was uncertain which was the cause.  But, it could be either his worsening headache for blabbering unnecessary facts or his impatience in getting his mother’s response.  At any rate, he made a real bad decision for narrating an illogical tale to disguise his dark past. The last thing he ever wanted was for his mother to be upset for what she had heard. Slaine vaguely remembered how he told his story and their exchanges afterward. But, part of him wished he never told the story and everything was a dream. “It’s not a dream, “ he talked to himself. As proof, his mother’s eyes were puffy; a sign that she spent her night crying.

Slowly, he moved his other hand, which was not held by his mother, upward to pick up the towel against his forehead and lay it in the tray with the bowl on top of it, which was placed on the bedside table. He made sure to move discreetly as not to wake his mother up. The time Yuki was present in his room, came to mind.

\- - -

_He barely heard that somebody knocked the door, but he was too tired to care. Soon after, when he felt a cold sensation against his forehead. He could not help but open his eyes.  Next, he discovered two figures were looming over him and he did not know who.  After having a tough time focusing his eyes, he was finally able to tell the figures belonged to Yuki and his mother. “It must be Yuki, who brought the damp towel,” he concluded. He managed to thank her for it.  He wanted to ask about Inaho, but before he was able to utter any words regarding his curiosity, Yuki told him first, what he wanted to know._

\- - -

Good that Inaho was fine.  He slowly shifted so that he was resting on his side, turned his back to the window so that  his neck would not ache to watch his mother in her sleep. Slaine wanted to touch her, but, he was afraid, she would awake if he did.  In retrospect, it was like a dream to meet his mother once more.

“How much longer, I must be troubling others?” Slaine asked himself. The thought of dying came back to his mind.  It would be better if he never came out of the moon base. Inaho did not need to risk his health and his mother would have nothing to worry.  By burdening both of them, Slaine felt that he was also burdening  others -- Yuki, the doctor and his friends, the personnel in the safe house, and perhaps, his other family member who he never had a chance to introduce himself right.

In the spur of the moment, he could feel the chilly breeze touch his nape. He asked himself if his mother forgot to lock the window.  The strong wind probably made the sliding window to be slightly open. He changed his mind from staying still on his bed to get up and lock the window. The rain probably had wet the wooden floor, and the wind would possibly damage the hanging photo frames. However, before he managed to sit properly, he had trouble breathing.

 

***

 

The sudden scream awoke Inaho in the cocoon of a blanket. He abruptly opened his eyes, trying to guess what was happening inside his home. He recognized the disembodied voice belonged to Slaine’s mother.  Perhaps, because the door to his room was closed, Inaho could not comprehend what she was trying to say. Then, multiple crushing and thumping sounds followed.  He could hear hurried footsteps heading up the stairs and running across his bedroom. Everyone probably woke up from their sleep and were rushing to figure out the commotion.  Swiftly, he jumped out of his bed and got out of the room to find everyone who stayed for the night in his house were gathering before Slaine’s room. Yuki was knocking the door while calling for Slaine’s name and his mother. Even so, both of them did not reply to Yuki. Yuki quickly twisted the knob to open the door but failed. The room was locked from the inside.

“Slaine! Please, stop! Please…” Slaine’s mother pleaded. Her voice faded into silence.  Hearing it, Inaho was sure it made, everybody was eager to get into the room.

Captain Marito brought out his gun. “Step aside,” he said to Yuki.

“Wait, don’t shoot him,” Inaho insisted. He was still a few steps away from them.

“I know Kaizuka Junior. The Empress of Mars wants him alive.  We’ll be damned if they declare another war on us only because we failed to comply one of their terms,” Marito replied. He wasted no time kicking strongly yet precisely the door down to break into the locked room.

Inaho ran forward in a hurry, wishing everything was under control.  In his mind, there were several scenarios which could be occurring in the room.  Based on Slaine’s mother’s tone, those who never really knew about Slaine would definitely think he was about to hurt his own mother.  Withal for him, it was more likely that Slaine was about to wound himself and his mother was attempting to stop him.  “Wait, he could be suffering from some sort of nightmare,” Inaho convinced himself.  Nevertheless, Inaho was also thinking about some other possibility -- a terrifying one. He wished it would never be the case for this time.  He was facing the doorway when the door at last opened.  Inaho realized his heartbeat went faster when he watched the scene in the bedroom.

Even though the room was only illuminated by a bedside lamp, lnaho could see the room was in total mess.  The blanket was no longer on the bed while the bed sheet tousled; half on the floor and the other half coiling on the bed. The window was widely opened.  He could feel the chilling air, simply by standing in the doorway.  Based on the wind direction, he believed the rain came in, wetting the wooden floor and the brick wall, just below the window. He minded nothing about them, except for Slaine and his mother. Slaine’s mother was injured. Though he could not see the blood trickling down from her cloth or her body, she was holding her forearm firmly.  In the meantime, he put his worries towards her aside, because the injury did not appear serious. Nonetheless, the same thing could not be applied on Slaine.  Indeed, Slaine did not suffer from any visible wounds. But, he was holding a kitchen knife, panting and ready to stab someone who was pinned under his body -- the officer who tried to kill him two days ago.

“Put that down!” Marito yelled at Slaine as he set his aim on Slaine.

“Wait, Captain Marito. He was the one who tried to kill Troyard in the safe house,” Inaho told Marito.

“So, you’re saying he broke into your home to finish his job?” Marito asked Inaho to confirm. At the same time, he lowered his gun, enough not point it at Slaine anymore.

Inaho only nodded as an answer. “Slaine, let us take over.  Give me the knife,” Inaho gave an instruction to Slaine while stepping closer to the other.

“No! Stay back!” To Inaho’s surprise, Slaine yelled in a hoarse voice and brushed off him.  But, Inaho pretended not to hear Slaine’s words and took several steps ahead.

“I said, stay back!” Slaine repeated louder as he raised the knife higher, highlighting that he would really stab the officer. Hearing Slaine’s voice made Inaho thought that Slaine might have a sore throat now. Be that as it may, there were other things to be worried about, than Slaine’s illness. This time, Inaho halted his movement. He believed Marito was ready to shoot Slaine. He turned around to see everyone was alarmed with Slaine’s act. Inaho wanted to take action fast.  He wanted to think how to stop Slaine without endangering the other’s life. Still, the only thing which came into his mind was why the officer was able to pinpoint Slaine’s exact location. The anklet undeniably could give an accurate coordinate, but the officer should not have the access to it unless someone was helping him to get it. Inaho shook his head trying to deny such possibility.

“Slaine… Please, dear. Put that down. I'm alright now. Let Kaizukas take care of him.” Again Slaine’s mother pleaded, asking for her son to stop threatening the others.

“Your mother is right. Give that knife to Nao-kun, and let us arrest him,” Yuki intervened.

Slaine, however, insisted not to let go his weapon, “I can't let him get away now. He tried to kill my mother, twice!”

“You can't  escape this if you kill him,” Inaho warned.

“Let it be! At least no one will try to harm her. No one will have to be harmed only to keep me alive!” Slaine responded. There was no doubt that his suicidal behavior was back.

“What are you saying Slaine?” Slaine’s mother asked her son.

“I can't live like this. I'm done living only to trouble others, making them prone to dangers and death. My Dad, the empress, my servants, other people who died in the war…” One more time, Slaine lifted the knife higher, taking the killing stance.

“Slaine, stop! You told me you don't want to kill!” Slaine’s mother screamed. She immediately burst into tears.

Looking how heartbroken his mother was, Slaine too unable to hold his tears. “It's too late, I already killed. A lot. Nothing could ever change it.  If killing another soul could save another and end mine, I will gladly do it,” he mumbled.  Yet, he not yet move from his former position. Inaho knew, his murderous intent was still there. Slaine could not forgive anyone who tried to hurt those important to him. Saazbaum’s death was an evidence of it.

“There are no means for them to revive,” Inaho said casually.  Of course, it was too short to persuade the other to rethink his action.

Fortunately, Slaine was taken aback by Inaho’s spontaneous comment. “Exactly. That’s why it’s perfect to end mine.” Despite that, Slaine was fast to retaliate.

“What I’m straining to say is, your death is meaningless.  They would not revive even after your death,” Inaho blurted out a harsh truth.

Hearing it, Slaine only smirked. “By remaining alive, I almost caused her to be killed. You and your sister too!” At present, it was Slaine’s turn to remind him.  Inaho felt that it was a poor decision on his part to start a conversation which he was never adept at. He was at a loss for words when Slaine moved to stab the other. Only this time it was for real. From where he was standing, He did not think he could stop Slaine even he ran towards him. He did not want Marito to fire his gun either.

“I will kill myself if you killed him!” Slaine’s mother shouted. But it was too late. The knife was a few inches away from the officer's throat. Inaho was thinking to snatch Marito’s gun. At least he could fire it so that the knife would be thrown off and stopped Marito from shooting Slaine at the same time. He turned his head to Marito, only to find Marito already put his gun down. Immediately, Inaho shifted his gaze to Slaine back. The knife was stuck on the wooden floor, adjacent to the officer’s neck. Slaine must be managed to swing the knife not to hurt the officer in the last minute after hearing his mother’s claim.  “Slaine, please continue to live, I can't survive without you. I can’t bear to lose you one more time!” his mother added.

Slaine looked at his mother with dampened eyes. Then, he looked away.  Inaho could tell, Slaine no longer had the courage to look straight into his mother’s eyes. Slowly, he moved away from the officer but stumbled upon one of the officer’s limbs. Slaine fell onto his shoulder and groaned immediately. Something was not right because instead of brushing his shoulder, which was hit in the fall, Slaine was holding his upper abdomen. Before Inaho managed to find out why the officer made a sudden move by plucking the kitchen knife next to him and ready to assault Slaine.  Inaho ran to get Slaine only to be held back by his own sister. He heard a gunshot was released. Luckily Marito was there to stop the officer’s attack in time.  The bullet hit the knife and it was cast away far from the officer’s reach.

In no time, Marito locked the officers’ movement and was assisted by Yuki. Simultaneously, Slaine’s mother got her son and the doctor left the room before coming back with his case.  Inaho then, turned on the switch to light the room with the ceiling light so that everyone could carry along with their tasks with ease.  He thought he could breathe a sigh of relief since the daunting moments finally ended until he saw a puddle of blood spilled on the floor. Inaho suspected the officer was the one who injured because the blood was gathering around his body. The thrown knife was also dirtied with red liquid. It scared Inaho because it would be hard for Slaine to escape from UFE sentencing him for severely wounding am officer.  But seeing how the officer was struggling to escape from both Marito and Yuki’s grips, he doubted the blood was his. The next person he was worried about was Slaine’s mother. Yet she looked fine and her arm only bruised. Inaho felt that his blood was leaving his face after he knew the spilled blood belonged to the one and only Slaine.

Inaho shook his head, hoping everything he just witnessed was a dream. In seconds, he was frozen to move towards them.  As much as he wanted to help in whatever way he could, his mind was filled with his promise to Seylum. Inaho looked at Slaine and began to calculate his chance of survival, though Inaho wished he did not need to. What would become of his promise to the Empress to save Slaine? What would happen to his mother who cared about him the most? Slaine was panting.  Inaho knew, the Slaine’s face had been always pale since his incarceration but, he was deathly pale now. Inaho had a hard time to figure out where Slaine was stabbed since Slaine was wearing a maroon shirt. If not for his mother who clamped the wound on her son with her both hands, Inaho would never have figured where the blood came from. Slaine had already closed his eyelids. Inaho wondered if he was no longer conscious.

Nothing could be done by dwelling on Slaine’s condition, Inaho eventually concluded. The only thing he could do now was let the doctor do his job to patch Slaine while hoping there would be no need for Slaine to be sent to the infirmary.  While the doctor was checking on Slaine, Inaho called every warden to come over to his place, so that they could take the officer and placed him in the safe house for the meantime. If possible, he wanted to do the questioning by himself before the officer would be taken by the same investigation team. Until he knew who was the ringleader of this whole operation, only he would report everything to the higher ups.

“He needs surgery,” the doctor announced.

It was unexpected for Slaine to suddenly react after the doctor remark.  He opened his eyes and started to loose himself from his mother's hold. He tried to move away from both the doctor and his mother but was hindered by his grim injury. “Let me be,” he rasped with tears trailing down out of the tail of his eyes.  When his mother attempted to clasp her hands on his wound back, he pushed her hands aside.  Of course, as a mother, she just ignored her son’s disapproval and continued to put the pressure on his wound. She could not stop her sniffle while attending to her son. Though she said nothing, her tears still rolling down her cheeks.

“Troyard, you can’t give up now.  Remember, Kaizuka would be deemed responsible for anything happened to you,” the doctor tried to again use Slaine’s weak point to get his cooperation. It was unlike the doctor's usual demeanor, but Inaho understood that the doctor valued his patient’s life more. Dr. Yagarai too, was obviously able to grasp that Slaine prioritized others more than himself. It should be not too difficult for Dr. Yagarai to understand Slaine’s personality based on the earlier conversation which he was forced to hear, considering the doctor’s field of study.

Slaine was gradually  weakening as time passed by. There was no more time to waste. Yet, Inaho was a having a hard time to figure out what was the best option for Slaine to get his treatment. Either he should change his plan and contact the top brass for the hospital arrangement or get outside help. Howbeit, both options possessed their own risks. In a very short time, Inaho made a very difficult decision which he believed Slaine could have a greater chance of surviving.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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